


The Unforgotten

by Lockea



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (Offscreen but present), Alpha Pidge | Katie Holt, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Hunk (Voltron), Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Discussion of Abortion, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Forced Pregnancy, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lance is secretly the biggest badass in this story, M/M, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Shiro (Voltron), Physical Abuse, Sexual Coercion, Slavery, So Many Star Wars Jokes, Star Wars Jokes, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-02-24 09:40:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13211070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lockea/pseuds/Lockea
Summary: When the Galra invaded Earth ten years ago they found not just the blue lion but also a species whose bearers, called omegas, were hardy, excessively fertile, and capable of interbreeding with the Galra. The children of these pairings were, for all intents and purposes, close enough to pureblooded Galra that they took the strongest of the omegas and sold them to high ranking officials as breeding slaves.Shiro was swept up in the first cull ten years ago as a teenager. Eleven pregnancies and fourteen kits later, however, Shiro's body is failing him. When he hears the call of the black lion bidding him to come and wake the Princess of Altea from her slumber, Shiro forcibly takes life back into his own hands with the black lion's help. None of this changes that Shiro's twelfth pregnancy may very well kill him, but with luck and the help of the other Paladins, Shiro may just be able to bring that kit into a universe free from Zarkon's control.





	1. The Black Lion's Call

**Author's Note:**

> Someone stop me.
> 
> In all seriousness, I got it into my head to go through the Voltron fics tagged with ABO and was somewhat disappointed by what I found. There were some good ones, some very creative ones too, but none of them scratched the itch I wanted scratched. So even though I should be working in my fics in other fandoms I sat down a few days ago and started writing this. I have a rough idea of where I'm going with this but really I just want to find out how far I can stretch this. I'm also a sucker for stories centered around character growth and since I'm notorious for taking fanfiction Too Seriously.
> 
> I also kind of got a kick out of the fact that fanfiction really does let you tell the kinds of stories original fiction can't. After all, how else am I going to squeeze in a drama about interpersonal relationships, recovery from abuse, and the complicated emotions surrounding an unwanted pregnancy in the midst of intergalactic warfare if not in a Voltron ABO Canon-divergence AU?
> 
> Since this is my first fic in the Voltron fandom, here's my trigger warning policy -- I find trigger warnings to be less than useful because triggers are crazy specific and contextual. That said, if anything in the tags raises some alarm bells (or you get the Bad Feeling at any point while reading) then send me a message on either of my tumblrs (lockea or storytellerlockea) or leave a comment and I will let you know if there's anything you need to watch out for. Stay safe and look out for yourself, lovelies.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good Intros are hard to come by. Also, Sendak's an asshole.

_You haven't left the apartment for a month._ The note on the table read.  _Go for a walk. It's good for the kit._  Next to the note was Shiro's ID, a small charm-like bracelet that listed, among other things, Shiro's fertility status and the name of the Galra who owned him. With an angry growl, Shiro shredded the note with his fingers and left the pieces in a heap on the table before going back to bed. 

It was halfway through goldshift before Shiro woke again, around the mid shift meal. The smell of food wafting from the kitchen into the bedroom woke him, nausea washing over Shiro like a wave as he made a mad dash for the toilet, voiding the contents of his stomach in the basin. Nothing more than bile and water came up, but Shiro's stomach clenched painfully with each heave. He barely noticed when his master stepped into the tiny room, clawed hands pulling his hair back away from his face so it wouldn't get dirty or wet as he puked.

"Still sick." His master observed when Shiro finished. Shiro nodded. "I'll have a druid come look at you." He turned and left; Shiro washed his face.

When he entered the dining room, there were two bowls set on the table and the shredded pieces of the note had been removed, even though the ID was still there, the metal chain mocking him. He turned to face his master. Commander Sendak was a high-ranking officer in the Galra military. High ranking and influential enough to have acquired Shiro ten years ago when Sendak was still a captain. 

"Sit." Sendak ordered taking a seat in front of one of the bowls. Shiro sat in front of the other one. "You saw my note." Sendak observed, voice neutral and question rhetorical. Shiro nodded anyway. "Go for a walk this afternoon. Go visit the creche; the kits have been asking after you. Go to the garden or go visit one of the other omegas on the station. I don't care, just get out of the apartment. All this sleeping isn't good for the kit."

"I don't feel well." Shiro replied. He stared at the food. Sendak had cooked Earth food -- rice and pork katsu, a dish Shiro remembered one of his moms making all the time when he was little. It didn't look appetizing. He took a bite anyway.

Sendak said, "You haven't felt well since Alexon was born. You haven't even gone to see him at the creche. This pregnancy is three weeks -- you need to exercise." 

"I don't feel well." Shiro repeated. "I want to sleep."

Sendak scowled. Shiro was pushing the limits of his master's patience, but while he was pregnant the Galra wouldn't risk doing anything that could endanger the kits. It was this knowledge that made Shiro bold. Sendak said, "I will lock you out of this apartment. Go to the creche. Mimi and Exan have both been asking for you to visit." Shiro's two eldest kits were exactly ten months apart from one another, nine years old approximately, although Mimi was about to turn ten and was almost an adolescent by Galra standards. Soon she would leave the creche and begin her apprenticeship either in the military or in the druids.

"And if I collapse again?" Shiro asked. He took another bite of the katsu. Still unappetizing. He pushed the bowl away. 

Sendak slammed his bowl against the table. Shiro flinched back from the noise instinctively but Sendak merely rose, grabbed Shiro's ID in one hand and with the other grabbed hold of Shiro's arm, yanking the omega from the table and against his chest. With brusque movements Sendak fastened the bracelet around Shiro's wrist and manhandled him out the front door, dragging a stumbling, reluctant Shiro behind him.

Several Galra stopped to salute the commander as he passed. Shiro heard the calls of "Vrepit Sa." echoing in the passage way, but no one stopped to question why the commander was dragging his sleep disheveled omega down the halls towards the civilian sector, where the creche and the gardens were located. Shiro was grateful he'd worn nice sleeping clothes, the long tunic and loose pants offering modesty and some semblance of an orderly appearance, even as his long dark hair was tangled around his face, the white forelock plastered across his forehead. Still, the metal floors were cold against his bare feet.

They arrived at the bulkhead that marked the entrance to the part of the station that was the creche before Sendak finally released Shiro. "I will come find you when my duties for the day are complete." He told Shiro before hitting the hatch release button and walking off before the doors slid open. Shiro scowled after his back.

A Galra civilian met Shiro as he stepped into the anteroom of the creche, dressed in the white scrubs of an attendant. It was decided back when Shiro's first kit, Mimi, was born that the omegas the Galra kept would not be allowed to raise the children they bore, and since Galra soldiers did not raise their own young, the creche was established to fill the void. Shiro knew it was because around a third of all the omegas taken by the Galra had killed their kits. Shiro, still fifteen and frightened, had nearly killed Mimi before they could take her away from him. He hadn't been able to make up his mind and commit to taking a life, but nor could he condemn the trapped omegas who'd lashed out any way they could. On Earth, the existence of artificial wombs meant that no omega was forced to carry an unwanted child to term and even if they did it wasn't frowned upon to give up a child they couldn't care for after birth. The Galra saw children born through artificial means as unnatural and soulless. Shiro didn't blame any omega who'd reacted so poorly to the Galra taking their choices away. 

The attendant scanned Shiro's bracelet, congratulated him on his pregnancy, and asked if he wanted her to gather all his children together for him. "Please." Shiro answered.

She said, "Alexon is in the nursery but I can ask the druids for permission to remove him for you."

"No need." Shiro replied. "I will visit the nursery later."

She led him to a large room full of toys and seating specifically designed for when the kits parents came to visit. Shiro knew Sendak came once a week to see his children, and in those early days when Exan and Mimi were his only two kits, Shiro had come with him. Now, it was only on rare occasions that Shiro came, and never in Sendak's company. His children didn't need to see the way their father treated his slave. Shiro took a seat on the couch, curling his toes under him for warmth and relief from the cold metal floors. One by one, his children trickled into the room -- the older ones reserved, the younger ones enthusiastically excited to see their mother. Shiro hugged each one in turn, until the last to arrive stood in front of him. Mimi was holding Shiro's second youngest, the twelve-month-old just barely old enough to be removed from the nursery. She stepped forward and with outstretched arms Shiro took the kit from her, cradling him close to his chest as Mimi and Exan stared at him. He took them in. Exan was the spitting image of Sendak, right down to the part of his fur. Mimi looked regal and imperious with her white hair tied back into a high ponytail and her uniform impeccably neat. 

"You wanted me to come visit." Shiro said, breaking the silence.

Mimi nodded. "I thought you died. Father said you hadn't. I wondered why you hadn't come in such a long time. You barely visited when pregnant with Alexon."

"I was sick." Shiro answered. "I spent most of my pregnancy confined to the bed. Then there was the tough labor and shortly after that was my heat. I haven't felt well since." 

"Was it successful?" Exan asked. Around him, his younger siblings perked up. 

"Yes." Shiro replied. "In eight months you'll have another sibling."

This led to excited chatter among the younger ones, who demanded Shiro let them touch his belly. Shiro obliged, wincing slightly as dull clawed hands poked tender flesh still pudgy from his last pregnancy. Once they were satisfied, they scattered back to playing with one another. Mimi and Exan sat on either side of him on the couch while Shiro rocked his fussy kit back to sleep. 

"Father thinks I should apprentice under him." Mimi said when her ten other siblings had gone back to playing. "He says I have the makings of a commander."

Shiro nodded absently. He didn't want her to join the military, but she was only tangentially his. He didn't have any say in what she, or Sendak, decided for her. Still, Mimi looked at him expectantly. Shiro said, "Whatever you choose is between you and your father."

Mimi scowled. "You always say that." She complained. "You don't care about any of us, do you?"

"Mimiko." Shiro sighed, her full name slipping out instinctively. She was the only one of Shiro's kits with a human name because she was the only one Shiro had named, back when Shiro had believed he might one day be able to love her. "You are too old for these games. You are too old to be ignorant." He thought about what his moms used to say when growing up, Kaoru would say, 'No child of mine will be a soldier.' to which Naomi would shrug and tell Shiro, 'No child of mine will let his parents dictate his future.' In the end it hadn't mattered. Shiro had been fifteen when the Galra took him from his home and brought him here where he was sold to Sendak. So no, he wasn't going to pretend that anything he said to Mimi would matter in the long run.

"Father wants you to care." Mimi insisted. "I'm your kit, am I not?"

"Sendak wants a lot of things." Shiro replied, perhaps more brusquely than intended. He stood up from the couch, Mimi and Exan scrambling up after him. "It's past time he learned that he owns my body, not my mind." With that he dumped his second youngest back in Mimi's arms and headed for the door.

Mimi called after him. "If you don't love us, just say so."

Shiro didn't immediately answer, but he did pause. Did he love his children? No, not really. They were innocent -- Shiro wasn't so blind he couldn't see that, but he resented them. He resented Sendak, and he hated the Galra who took him from his family and forced him into this nightmare. "Its far more complicated than that, Mimi." He said and left.

He knew the route to the nursery well enough to navigate there on his own. A glass window allowed him to look into the room with it's row upon row of cribs marked by Galra symbols, the white clad attendants watching over them. There was another omega in the nursery, one whom Shiro recognized. He sat on a chair near one of the cribs, a kit around three months of age latched onto his breast as he rocked back and forth, eyes closed. He looked almost content -- a far cry from the scared and traumatized teenager that had first arrived on the station just over a year ago. Shiro stepped into the nursery and greeted the other omega.

"Hello Lance."

The omega opened his eyes and managed a small smile, watching as Shiro navigated the rows of cribs by reading the Galra written on the end of each bed. Well, reading was too generous. Really, Shiro had learned to recognize the symbols for Sendak's name from his own ID bracelet and years of practice. Alexon's crib was marked by those same symbols. The kit was sound asleep but Shiro stuck his finger in the kit's tiny fist, wiggling it gently as the seven-week-old instinctively latched on to him.

"Hi Shiro." Lance greeted. He gently disentangled his kit from his breast and laid the babe back down in his own crib. "I haven't seen you since your kit was born. How are you?"

Shiro didn't answer. Lance didn't press. Shiro liked that about Lance. "You okay?" Lance asked instead.

Shiro sighed. "Had a fight with my eldest." He explained. "I feel sick to my stomach every day and I just want to go to sleep and never wake up, but she wants me to care about the life choices she's making -- as if I have any say in what she does. She wants to be a soldier and it makes me sick."

Lance didn't judge him but instead rose from his chair and took Shiro's free hand in both of his own. 

"I'm a bad mother." Shiro admitted. 

Lance said. "You are not. It's not your fault you've been coerced into this role. If anyone's to blame, it's the Galra. Don't blame yourself for what they did."

Shiro was so tired though, so sick of it all. He tugged his fingers free from Alexon's grasp and turned to face Lance, just as the room tilted sideways. Shiro reached out to grab the nearest firm surface, but his fingers skittered off the edge.

"Shiro?" Lance called as the floor rose up to meet the older omega. "Shiro! Someone help! Shiro, stay awake!"

But Shiro didn't listen. His eyes slid shut.

*~*~*

_There was a field full of blooming white flowers. Shiro was standing in it and no matter which way he turned the flowers stretched on forever in all directions._

_"Can you hear me?" A voice Shiro didn't recognize echoed loudly in his mind, reverberating off his very bones._

_Shiro spun around. Nothing. No one. "Yes." He called out anyway._

_"Good. For so long I thought no one would hear me, but you, cub, finally have."_

_"Who are you?"_

_The voice said, "I am all that is and all that is precious. I am a weapon meant to safeguard the universe from harm. I am life and I am the bringer of death. Who are you that has heard me call out?"_

_"I'm Shiro. Takashi Shirogane."_

_"Shiro. In your language it means white. How fitting." The voice laughed. "I am black. Follow my voice, Shiro. Bring your friend with you. I have chosen you, and I am sure she will choose him. Steadfastness and loyalty are not traits one comes by easily."_

_The field faded._

"-iro! Shiro!"

He woke up lying on a bed. It wasn't the bed in Sendak's apartment -- too soft, the mattress thin and cool, the blankets scratchy. Shiro blinked his eyes open. He was in one of the recovery rooms in the creche, where omegas were kept for a few days after giving birth. Shiro recognized the walls and the sterile smell of the room. Beside him, Lance was seated, hands wrapped in his. "Oh, thank god." Lance cried out, hugging Shiro tightly across the bed.

"What happened?" Shiro asked. It felt like he'd been run over by something large. His head was pounding. He raised his other hand to check for blood but stopped when he noticed the IV feeding him fluids.

"Anemia." Lance pronounced grimly. "And a few other terms I'm not sure I understood. The druids are putting you on bedrest for this pregnancy. Your master is on his way."

Great. The last person Shiro wanted to deal with right now was Sendak. "I'm sorry Lance."

Lance's grin was forced, but his words weren't. "Don't be, Shiro. I'm just glad you're okay-ish. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't be ridiculous." Shiro managed his own smile. "You're strong."

Lance shook his head. "Do you remember what you said to me when I first came to the station? We were in the garden and there were, like, three other omegas with us and you were recovering from you last last pregnancy and I was scared shitless because holy shit I didn't want to be there. I just wanted to run away."

"No?" Shiro replied. He might have said a lot of things. He was still pretty high on painkillers then. "What did I say?"

Lance's smile was genuine. "You took me aside and I guess you could tell I was scared because you said, 'nothing they do can hurt you any more than you let it, so long as you remember one thing.' Do you remember what that one thing was?" Shiro shook his head. "They own your body, but not your mind."

It was the same thing Shiro had said to Mimi earlier. Shiro had always kept it like a mantra. He didn't realize he'd said it to Lance.

The door to the room slid open and Lance released his grip on Shiro to jump back against the far wall as Sendak entered the room, fury written across his face as he stalked over to the bed and slapped Shiro, a quick backhand across the face that stung enough to leave him breathless. He barely heard Lance's aborted protest before the omega realized drawing attention to himself wasn't such a great idea. 

"What did you do?" Sendak growled. Shiro stared back up at him defiantly so Sendak hit him again. "If you've injured the kit I swear I will kill you, you useless bitch."

"If  _I_  hurt the kit?" Shiro returned. "If anything happens it will be  _your_ fault, Sendak. You promised me six months with no pregnancies after the latest birth. I told you I was sick. I told you my body had limits and you agreed. You broke your promise so if anyone is to blame it's  _you_."

Sendak hit him again, and this time Shiro's lip split with the force of the blow. Shiro coughed, tasting the copper tang of blood in his mouth. It'd been a while since he'd made Sendak this angry with him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Sendak seemed to realize that Shiro was right; he spun and stalked out of the room without another word.

Lance was on Shiro in an instant, hands braced on either side of Shiro's head as he checked the swelling and bruising. "Shiro." Lance hissed, voice desperate and angry. "Are you stupid? You know you can't just antagonize them."

Shiro laughed. "I'm right and he knows it." He admitted. "It's his fault. It would serve him right if I died."

Lance scowled at him. "You idiot! The only thing that happens when you die is that you're dead, stupid. Using your own life to get back at someone doesn't do anything because you'll still be dead. If you really want to piss someone off, stay alive and prove them wrong."

Shiro didn't reply. Lance radiated concerned annoyance as he cleaned up the blood on Shiro's face and found a cool compress to press against Shiro's swollen face. Once he'd done as much as he could, Lance glanced at the clock on the wall -- a strange contraption that was very different from human clocks -- and sighed. "I have to go. I've already spent too long here." He glanced back over at Shiro. "I'll come see you tomorrow, all right? So stay alive, at least until then."

"Don't worry, Lance. I'm not going anywhere." Shiro answered, managing a small smile.

"Good." Was Lance's reply as he left the room. Shiro leaned back against the mattress and closed his eyes, thankful to find sleep quickly.

_"Are you coming?" The voice asked him in that field of white flowers._

_"Where am I going?" Shiro asked black._

_"To wake the princess. You and your friend must come quickly. Find blue. She is located nearest to you, in the hanger on Zarkon's station. Just as I have chosen you, I believe blue will choose your friend. Come, come -- fast as you can."_

*~*~*

Shiro slept in the creche that night so the druids and attendants could monitor him after his collapse the day before. He slept most of the time he was there, waking only long enough to eat dinner and speak briefly with Exan who'd snuck into Shiro's room to express his concern over the news that Shiro was sick. Thankfully, Shiro's oldest son didn't mention his brief argument with Mimi. Exan was more intuitive than Mimi and less willing to play incompetent than his sister. He knew Shiro's relationship with them was fraught and he understood that.

Exan had said, during that conversation, that he would have liked to have known the person Shiro would have been, had Sendak not destroyed him.

"I wish I knew him too." Shiro admitted. He hugged his second eldest and shooed him away before falling asleep. Black did not bother him as he slept through the night. Still, her words hadn't been forgotten in Shiro's head. 

Lance, true to his word, showed up just after breakfast, just as the druids were unhooking his IV and allowing him to rise and dress in a pair of white scrubs similar to what the attendants wore. When they were alone and Shiro cleared to go back to Sendak's apartment -- "So long as you take it easy." The druid warned him -- Shiro grabbed hold of Lance's arm and led him back to the entrance of the creche.

"Walk with me." Shiro ordered the teenager, as they headed down the corridors, away from the military apartments.

"Where are we going?" Lance asked. "Shouldn't we get you home so you can rest?"

Shiro shook his head. "I had a dream. A couple of dreams. Don't ask me why but I know someone was speaking to me in them. She told me that you and I had to do something. We had to find the blue lion."

Lance yanked his arm out of Shiro's grip. He backed up against the bulkhead, hands held up in placating surrender. "Woah, woah. You must have really hit your head hard, bud. It's the pregnancy, the anemia and whatever else is fucking up your body. You're hallucinating. You need to rest. The blue lion's in the hanger, yeah, but its got shields up and no one can get close to it."

Shiro frowned. "She told me that steadfastness and loyalty are hard traits to come by. Lance, you have to trust me. She said the blue lion was going to choose you."

"I do trust you." Lance replied quickly. "Shiro, ever since I was taken by the Galra you were the first person to be kind to me, to tell me it was going to be okay. I have utmost faith in you but you have quite possibly lost your mind. The lions are just weapons. They can't speak."

Shiro shook his head. "I know. I know what everyone says, but Lance, I heard her call out to me. Do you trust me?" He asked again.

Again, Lance answered in the affirmative. "But we can't just walk up to the blue lion. They won't let us near her."

"What do you suggest?" Shiro asked, even as he and Lance resumed their walk through the metal corridors towards the hanger.

Lance grinned. "My master is the chief maintenance officer overseeing the hanger. I've never gone there to see him -- never wanted to, actually -- but if we use that as an excuse I'm sure they'll let us pass. It will buy us enough time to at least get close to the blue and red lions. Close enough to see if you're right. If its really sentient -- if it really chose me."

"It's really that simple?" Shiro asked.

"Well, no." Lance admitted. "I'm sticking my neck out there for you Shiro. If this fails I'll have to explain to my master what the hell I was doing in the hanger and, unlike you, I'm not pregnant. So really, this is a pretty big risk for both of us. But I trust you Shiro, and even if you're wrong it will still be worth it, I think." He paused. "That said, I hope you're right."

"Me too." Shiro muttered.

It was almost too easy to get past the guards at the bulkhead separating the hanger. Lance did all the talking, explaining that he was visiting his master in the hanger and brought Shiro along as company. He played up the bored, spoiled pet card that was so ubiquitous it was a Galra stereotype for omegas, but to Lance's credit it worked and the guards let them pass with minimal harassment.

"Piece of cake." Lance said as he made his way down the central hallway that opened up into the large docking bay. Sure enough, there was the blue and red lions, regal sleeping creatures surrounded by forcefields. "Okay." Lance said, approaching blue. "How do we get the forcefield..."

He trailed off as the forcefield dropped. The lion roared as Lance approached it, alerting the other Galra around them who raised their weapons, their only hesitation was when they noticed it was two omegas near the lions. No one wanted to be responsible for murdering a superior officer's breeding slave. 

"Run!" Shiro shouted as the first of the soldiers fired a warning shot. Lance ducked instinctively and grabbed hold of Shiro's hand, dragging the older omega towards the lion's open mouth as she lowered her head to let them in.

"Hey, what do you know? Shiro, you were right." Lance sounded positively giddy as the mouth opened up into a cockpit and with surprising ease and comfort, Lance took a seat in the pilots chair, pulling up display after display on the HUD while Shiro looked on, mystified. Lance acted like he'd been in the pilot's seat before. "Oh yeah, here we go baby. Nothing to this." He grinned up at Shiro as the lion pulled forward, bounding over the soldiers in her path. "Hang on Shiro. We're leaving the station."

It was almost laughable, how easy it was for the blue lion to escape through the energy barrier air lock and into the vastness of space. The Galra scrambled fighters after them, but Lance was easily able to dodge them, the blue lion clearly a very responsive (and yet still highly stable) system. Shiro clung to the seat, swallowing back his own nausea as the gravity of the station gave way to the blue lion's internal gravity system. Still, the Galra pursued.

"We have to get out of here. They'll catch us if we don't find somewhere to hide." Shiro observed as the fighters scrambled and came after them. The main ships were launching from the station as well, a sort of all hands on deck situation where their canons fired after blue, but without fail blue dodged them. Shiro had to admit -- he was impressed. Lance had never spoken of where he came from before he'd been sold on the station, and Shiro had always assumed it was earth. But that couldn't be right. What little Shiro knew of Galra-occupied Earth said that they had no military, no space force, nothing. So where had Lance learned to fly so well?

No time to ask now. Lance was busy maneuvering their way out of the fight. "Look ahead!" He shouted suddenly, and Shiro glanced at the forward-facing HUD. A blue circle of light had appeared in space. "Looks like a wormhole. Should I follow?"

"I don't know." Shiro replied. A blast from one of the ships grazed the lion and it shook violently, nearly sending Shiro to the floor. "But we have to get away. Lance!"

"On it!" Lance replied, and increased the throttle as the lion barreled straight towards the wormhole. The hole closed behind them. Alone, on the other side, Lance laughed. "Oh my god. Oh my god. Shiro!"

Shiro just smiled faintly and nodded, speechless. They were really free. They'd really taken the blue lion from the main space station. The dream had been real. The black lion really had spoken to him.

"Oh my god." Lance repeated. "I can't believe you were right. Shiro. This is amazing. This changes everything. Wait until the Blade and the Rebels hear about this. Holy shit!" 

As if on autopilot, the blue lion descended onto the planet beneath them, landing on a stretch of land just outside a large, eerie looking castle. "What's this?" Shiro muttered, as the lion opened her mouth and the displays shut down, enabling them climb onto the surface of the planet.

"I don't know." Lance answered. "I sense something. I think blue is trying to talk to me, but not in words. More like emotions? She says this is home."

 _"You're here!"_  Shiro heard that familiar, reverberating voice in his head once more as they stepped out in front of the castle.  _"You found me! Now wake the princess."_

Shiro said, "Blue led us to black. I can hear her voice more clearly now. She's here in the castle and so is the princess."

"What princess?" Lance asked, but he followed after Shiro as the door to the castle slid open in greeting, Inside it was eerie and dark, the lights dim and flickering, almost like safety lights on a space craft, highlighting their way further in. Finally, after what felt like forever, the two stepped into a room where all the lights lit up before them, two frosted window pods rising up from the floor in response to their entrance.

The first of the pods slid open and a woman -- dark skinned with beautiful white hair, stepped out hand raised up in front of her. "Father!" She gasped, before she collapsed. Lance caught her before she could hit the floor and felt his heart stop when he saw her face more clearly. She was stunning! Lance had always had more of thing for alpha woman than alpha men and boy did she hit every note.

"Hello princess." He smiled, aiming for his most suave and seductive. Shiro just stared at him. The princess seemed less than impressed.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Where am I? Where is my father?" She pushed herself out of Lance's arms, finding her feet just as Shiro felt another dizzy spell overcome him.

He'd been sick and dizzy since the escape in the lion, but adrenalin had sustained him. Now it was fading and Shiro felt like he was going to throw up again. He collapsed on the ground before he fell down, hand clasped over his mouth. Lance's attention immediately turned to his friend. "Shiro?" He questioned. "Shiro buddy, stay awake this time. Okay? You can't pass out."

Shiro nodded, and focused on swallowing down the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. His head was pounding; he couldn't think straight. Lance grabbed him around his shoulders and guided him to lie down, but that did little to help the nausea even if it put him in a better place to not hit his head as he collapsed.

The princess said, "What's going on? What's wrong with her? Who are you people?"

Lance glanced over at her. " _He_ ," and he emphasized the pronoun, "is pregnant and sick. We fled from the Galra because he heard the black lion calling him. The black lion told him I'd be able to fly the blue lion and that we had to come here to wake the princess -- you -- up. I don't know any more than that." 

The princess moved to Shiro's side, her hands coming to rest gently against Shiro's abdomen. She didn't press, but closed her eyes. A moment later her eyes flew open with a startled gasp. "Who are you people? Why is he pregnant with a Galra child?"

"I'm Lance." Lance answered. "This is Shiro." He didn't answer the second question. Instead, he repeated, "We were told by the black lion to come wake you."

The second pod chose that moment to open, the man that stepped forward from it disoriented for only a moment before he headed towards the princess. The princess said, "I am Allura of Altea. My retainer is Coran. We can discuss more later. For now, your friend needs a healing chamber. There's a severe internal wound that's being aggravated by a low antibody count and anemia. He needs immediate attention or both of them will die."

Lance panicked. No! They hadn't made it this far just for Shiro to die on him. "What can you do to save him?" He asked desperately. "Please. You have to save him."

Allura smiled gently and covered Lance's hand with her own where it rested on Shiro's chest. "It's going to be all right. Just let me put him? -- yes, him, in the healing pods and then you and I can talk." She released Lance and glanced over to her retainer, who lifted the nearly unconscious Shiro easily. Having no other choice, Lance followed the two aliens into an adjacent room and watched as a new pod rose up out of the floor, and Shiro was gentle placed inside. The pod's frosted windows slid shut, but part of it was clear so that Lance could still see Shiro's face. He took a seat in front of the pod.

The princess and her attendant sat next to him. "Now." The attendant said. "Start at the beginning."

So Lance told them everything.


	2. The Princess and the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Start on a high note, end on a low note. Or, introducing Lance of the Rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, oh wow you guys. This officially breaks the record for most comments I've gotten in the first 24 hours of a fic ever. I was about halfway through this chapter last night and was originally going to wait a few days before posting it, but since I am Very Bored this new years (and I have poor impulse control) you guys can have it early as a thank you. Most everyone's comments followed a similar theme -- it seems all of you are excited to see an ABO story where ABO is a trope but not the entire premise, and of course I'm happy to oblige.
> 
> Also, I get that Lance's popular fanon name is Mcclain, and I don't really mind that, but it just seems strange to me that a Cuban would have a name originating in Scotland, so I gave him the name Martinez instead to reflect his Cuban-American heritage. I also had him born and raised in Miami for no other reason than that I spent two weeks living with my Cuban ex's family in the predominitly hispanic part of Miami and Fort Lauderdale so I know at least a smidge about Cuban American life and not a lick about native Cuban life. I never said I wasn't a lazy fanfiction writer.

Lance talked for what felt like hours. Allura and Coran listened as he spoke about his home -- what he remembered of Earth before the Galra came. Living in Miami with his parents before leaving the planet as a slave. Being rescued by the Blade when he was twelve. Coming to join the rebellion and meeting his two best friends there. Learning to shoot a pulse sniper at fourteen and being so damn good at it he had his own dedicated support team. 

"We were captured." He explained to Allura, the story he'd never shared with any of the omegas on the station, not even Shiro. "I was sixteen -- I'd already presented as an omega a year and half earlier, when I was learning to shoot. They executed my support squad and were about to do the same to me before they realized I was an omega."

"And an omega is a female of your species?" Allura asked patiently. 

Lance shook his head. "I guess to other species, yeah, we are. Your secondary presents when you're born. Man or woman, boy or girl. Humans use he and she to refer to those terms. But not everyone is born so clear cut and some people reject those labels as they age. They may be both or neither or something else entirely. It's complicated." He thought about Pidge. The alpha girl saw secondary and primary sexual characteristics as beneath humanity and generally preferred to be referred to by gender neutral terms, even though they were pretty relaxed if people forgot. They were a complicated person. "The primary is the one that determines whether you can have kids or sire kids. Alpha, or omega. It develops in puberty. Shiro and I are omega men. Sometimes the primary never develops. We call those people betas. They're usually sterile but occasionally the secondary kicks in and a beta woman might have a kid of her own or a beta man might be able to sire a kid with an omega."

Allura and Coran both nodded, relaxing a bit now that they understood the strange aliens in their midst. "So what happened when the Galra discovered you were an omega?" Allura asked.

Lance glanced away and held out his bracelet for Allura to see. She took his wrist gently and read the Galra characters easily. With a disgusted sigh, she dropped his wrist. "They sold you." She observed. Lance nodded. "Disgusting. Just when I thought those monsters couldn't debase themselves any further. They took your omegas and made them slaves."

"Yeah." Lance admitted weakly. "I was petrified. I was so scared and I tried to fight back but they... umm..." He couldn't say it. Couldn't force himself to explain what they did. He'd never said it out loud before. He didn't think he ever could. 

"It's okay Lance." Allura soothed. "How did you meet Shiro?"

Grateful for the change in subject, Lance smiled at Allura. "After I was sold, I didn't know what to expect. I'd just found out I was pregnant so I guess that's when my master decided I was allowed to leave the apartment and walk around the station. I went to the gardens and Shiro was there with some other omegas. He'd just had a kit himself -- still had pregnancy tummy -- but it was clear most of the other omegas respected him. He wasn't the oldest one on the station, but he'd been there the longest, you know. The Galra took him first. Anyway, I was being really, really quiet so he took me to the side and he just sat with me. Didn't say anything, just sat with me. No, wait, he did say one thing. He said I could ask him anything I wanted. So I asked him how he did it -- how he'd survived ten years."

Lance closed his eyes. "'They own your body.' He said, 'but they don't own your mind.' And you know what? That's how I got through the next year. Him -- and his words. So this morning -- " He trailed off and checked for a clock. His internal one told him it was early evening, so yeah, morning was the correct term. "-- this morning Shiro woke up and told me he had this dream about the black lion and that we had to go get blue and come find you. Anyone else, I probably wouldn't have trusted them but Shiro basically saved me. He doesn't know it, but I really look up to him. He's so strong to have made it so long as a Galra slave. Anyway, you know the rest."

Allura nodded. "Thank you, Lance. I can see why the blue lion chose you as her pilot. Black is so very rarely wrong with what she observes, but unfortunately this puts us in a bind; there are three other lions and even if both Coran and I were chosen to pilot, which is unlikely, there would still be one lion who needs a paladin."

"Princess." Coran said. "What do you propose we do?"

Allura frowned. "I can sense the other lions. Not red, but green and yellow. They are safe and still hidden. Their paladins will need to wake them." To Lance she explained, "My father tied my life force to the lions, so that I would be able to find them again when it came time. I believe I can use that connection to each lion to recognize the paladin they will accept. Still, there are infinitely many possibilities out there. Aside from black, who is the pickiest of the lions and has clearly chosen Shiro, the rest of the lions will take any pilot who can prove themselves worthy. Red will be the most difficult to please, but green and yellow are easy going and open hearted."

Lance nodded. "I think I know just where you can find your paladins."

*~*~*

Shiro woke feeling far better than he had in over a year. His head no longer pounded in pain and the fatigue that was so omnipresent he'd stopped noticing it was gone completely. The doors to the pod slid open and Lance was there, waiting for him. The teenager asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Good." Shiro replied, and for once it wasn't a lie. "What happened? I feel..." He trailed off and gestured vaguely at the air, the words to describe just how good he felt failing him.

Lance just laughed. "Allura said the healing pod would take care of most of the damage but, Shiro, you have to take it easy. Apparently, your uterine lining is damaged from your last pregnancy. It wasn't given enough time to heal so there's a strong chance this kit's placenta will detach from the uterine wall -- or irritate it into bleeding again. Combined with the anemia, you're at a high risk for losing this kit."

"Of course I am." Shiro groaned. But, really, he felt great. "Why didn't the magic healing pod thing fix that?"

"It kinda did?" Lance replied. "I think? But it's not really magic, Shiro. It can't heal the scar tissue or give you a total blood transfusion to fix the anemia. You're a lot less likely to lose the kit now than you were before we came here, but you've got to be careful."

"I get it Lance." Shiro waved him off. "Thank you, but I can't just lay around right now. What about the Princess? I heard black speaking to me while I was in the pod but I don't remember anything she said. What's our next plan of action?"

Lance stepped back and squared his shoulders. "The princess -- Allura -- and Coran are working on getting the castle operational again. Apparently, it's a giant space ship. We've already sent a hailing message to one of the bases of the rebellion. As soon as the castle's ready, we're going to head there to try and find suitable pilots for the other lions."

Shiro listened to Lance as he stretched out his arms and felt the muscles in his back and neck pop satisfyingly. He didn't remember the last time he'd felt so strong and whole. "What can I do to help?" Shiro asked, just before his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten all day. For once, the thought of food didn't make him feel sick to his stomach. "After I eat." He added.

Lance grinned. "Food first and then Allura thinks you should go see the black lion and give piloting her a shot. She also says she has a gift for us, but she wants to wait until she's found all the paladins for the lions." The teenager led Shiro through the castle to what looked like a dining room and served him something that was green and gelatinous but had a citrusy scent to it. With a tentative curiosity, Shiro hazarded a bite. Note bad.

"Tastes like key lime pie." Shiro admitted as he took another bite. "Do you remember key lime pie?" He asked Lance. The omega would have been so young when the invasion happened, he might not have gotten to try foods like this before.

But Lance just grinned at him. "Do I?" Lance asked wickedly. "Oh man, Shiro, my abuela used to make the best key lime pie in all of Miami. I grew up eating that shit every birthday, holiday, or family gathering." He grabbed a second utensil and stole a bite out of Shiro's bowl. "Holy shit, Shiro! It really does taste like pie. Not nearly as good as my abuela's but good. Man, and I thought green food goo would be disgusting."

With Lance stealing the occasional bite, Shiro managed to finish the full bowl off. It was the first time he'd been able to eat everything offered to him in who knew how long, and he felt satisfied as he dumped the bowl in a cleaning receptacle and followed Lance down more long hallways. "We're going to the engine room first." He explained to Shiro. "Allura and Coran are in there and they'll want to know you're awake and see how you're feeling. Plus, she might have some better clothes for you." Lance was dressed in black slacks and a black tunic, clothes he definitely hadn't been wearing yesterday, with heavy boots on but Shiro was still in the white scrubs from the creche, his feet clad in open toe sandals. Not ideal for piloting.

Shiro nodded. "Good call, Lance." Lance beamed at the praise before hitting the door release on one of the side doors. It opened up into a large mechanical room. 

"Hey! Shiro's awake!" Lance called into the room. From beneath one of consoles in the room the princess poked her head out, grease streaked across her face just beneath one of the blue markings on her dark skin. "Hey Allura, everything okay?"

"Not quite." Allura answered. "The crystal that powers the castle is cracked. I don't suppose your rebel friends have one we can use and can bring it to us?" She turned her attention to Shiro and smiled gently. "I'm so glad you are feeling better. According to your friend, we have you to thank for waking us up."

Shiro nodded but didn't reply. Lance said, "I can contact the rebellion and ask if anyone can make the trip out to us. If anyone's likely to have the crystals it will be the Blade. They raid Galra ships and take them for their own and rebellion ships."

"Oh good. Thank you, Lance. Is there any chance you can do that now?" She asked.

Lance beamed at the praise. "For you, princess, anything." He flashed her his most charming smile. Allura rolled her eyes but returned his smile. Lance added, "But first, I was hoping you had clothes for Shiro? Hospital scrubs are not the sturdiest of garments."

"Oh, of course!" Allura answered. She called back over her shoulder, "Coran? I'm going up to the command deck. Contact us if you need any help."

"Sure thing, Princess!" Came a voice from somewhere in the mess that was the back of the engine room. "As soon as I get this quiznakian bolotir crystal fixed in the next tilsa or so we'll be good to move on to the argus thrust."

Allura, at the very least, seemed to understand the seemingly gibberish words coming out of her retainer’s mouth because she just nodded and headed for the door, Lance and Shiro trailing after her. She led them to another series of halls and pressed the door release on the first door in a long corridor. "This is the residential wing of the castle. Historically, the paladins lived in these quarters." The door opened up into a tiny berthing, roughly three quarters the size of Sendak's bedroom in his apartment, Shiro realized. There was a bunk set against the bulkhead, a desk built into the bulkhead, and wardrobe. In the back, another door led to an equally small bathing chamber. "The black paladin's room." Allura explained. She stepped in and pulled out a similar black uniform to Lance's from the wardrobe. "You can shower if you like while Lance and I contact the rebels."

Shiro shook his head. His hair felt greasy and tangled from a lack of proper care, but he wasn't ready to be left alone without Lance quite yet. "I'd like to come with you. If that means putting off a proper shower, then at least give me a minute to figure out my hair."

Lance reached out and flicked Shiro's white streaked frames out of his face with a teasing laugh. "Yeah, you really do need to do something about your hair. Why do you keep it so long, anyway?"

Shiro shrugged. "Sendak wouldn't let me cut it." He said. He grabbed the clothes from Allura and retreated into the bathroom.

The door closed, but Shiro still heard Allura ask, "Who is Sendak?"

Lance answered, "Shiro's asshole master."

"Well." Allura said decisively. "Not anymore." Shiro couldn't help but smile at that. 

There was a hairbrush on the vanity in the bathroom and Shiro used it to carefully detangle the knots in his hair, staring at his reflection in the mirror as he worked. The circles under his eyes had lessened significantly -- he no longer looked so fatigued and sickly pale. His skin almost had a healthy glow once more. Once the hair was neater, he found a hair tie under the vanity and used it to tie his shoulder length hair back in a mid-height ponytail, keeping his overly long bangs out of his face. He took another moment to do a quick wipe down with a rag as he undressed and, once he was cleaner he put on the black uniform and boots. Now, when he looked in the mirror Shiro looked significantly more human and less like a haggard and beaten slave. The healing pod had removed the bruise on his face from Sendak's abuse too. Lastly, he removed his ID bracelet and left it beside the sink -- he'd noticed that Lance wasn't wearing his anymore either.

Lance whistled when he saw Shiro, the act more teasing and friendly than anything else, but Shiro ducked his head self-consciously. "You clean up nice." Lance commented. "I think that pod did a lot more than I originally gave it credit for. I have never seen you look quite so good."

"Ah, well, I've never felt quite so good, either." Shiro admitted. He followed Lance and Allura back out into the hallway. It felt impossible to memorize the path they took, but Shiro knew from experience he'd figure it out eventually, as they walked back to the command deck. 

Once there, Allura and Lance approached the center console, the displays lighting up beneath Allura's fingers. A message written in a language that must have been Altean flashed up on the screen, and a moment later it faded, leaving a view screen of an older man with medium brown hair and glasses staring back at them.

"Commander Holt." Lance greeted. 

The commander nodded in response. "Corporal Martinez, and Princess Allura... and who is that with you today?"

Lance held out his hand for Shiro and shyly Shiro approached the princess and the other omega. Allura said, "This is the paladin of the black lion, Shiro."

Lance added, "He's the one who helped me escape from the Galra."

On the screen, Commander Holt smiled; a warm, parental looking gesture. "Of course. Shiro. You have my thanks for rescuing my star sniper. We were all quite relieved to learn he was alive after hearing news that his unit was destroyed."

Corporal? Sniper? Unit? Just what hadn't Lance told Shiro about who he was?

Lance grinned. "Aww, you missed me. Bet you never thought you'd say that, Commander."

"Corporal, you were a pain in my ass, but you're also my daughter's best friend. Now, I assume this isn't just a social call?" Commander Holt's friendly expression turned serious.

"Afraid not, Commander." Allura said. "The castle's energy crystal is completely depleted. We need to replace it with a new one before the castle can become mobile again. Lance suggested you might have one or know where we can retrieve one."

Commander Holt sighed. "We're strapped thin for resources, Princess. We have exactly one available at this base, which we will happily give to you. However, none of our ships have the capability of reaching Arus in a timely manner. I believe it would be best for your lions to come here to retrieve the crystal. Perhaps you can conduct your pilot search while on location. I've already taken the opportunity to gather up our best pilot candidates among both our allies and my rebels."

Allura nodded but turned her attention to Shiro. "The black lion is the most stable of the lions. Next to red, it is also the fastest. I know you haven't flown her yet, but I believe our quickest method of getting to the rebel's base is in her."

Shiro nodded. "I've never flown anything before." He admitted. "I don't even know why she chose me."

Allura just smiled. "You will be a natural, Shiro. The black lion is not so mysterious as she likes to pretend to be. She chooses her paladins for their strength of will and leadership potential. Give her your strength and she will guide you." To the commander she said, "We will need both lions to get there. Have you space for us?"

Commander Holt smiled. "We will make space, princess. It will give my people great hope to see Earth's lion free from Zarkon's grasp and one of our own her paladin. We shall see you when you arrive."

The feed cut out. Allura said. "It's settled then. I will inform Coran that we are leaving the castle in his care. Meet me in the hanger?"

Lance and Shiro nodded, and without another word Allura swept out of the room. Lance followed after her a moment later, but immediately turned down a different hallway. As they walked, Shiro said, "Corporal Lance... Martinez?"

Lance laughed nervously. "Yeah. That's me. Lance of the Rebellion. I'd like to say I'm a Han Solo type person but I'm really more like Poe Dameron." He glanced over his shoulder at Shiro. "I never said anything because it just didn't seem right. I thought that part of my life was behind me the moment the Galra realized their captured war prisoner was an omega. I was focused on surviving, and to do that I had to give up Corporal Martinez for dead."

In a way, Shiro understood that. It made a few things about Lance change in retrospect. The terrified teenager he'd been a year ago had gone far and beyond what most of the new omegas experienced when they first arrived. And Lance had been older, too, which had confused everyone for a while. Lance wasn't a late bloomer -- he'd clearly developed into an omega body some years prior. Shiro had learned from one of the other omegas that the humans on Earth had started hiding their omega children from the Galra, so sometimes the Galra had to really search to find them. It had all been easily explained away, but now Shiro realized he couldn't be further from the truth.

The truth was, Shiro had no idea who Lance even really was.

"You've got that look on your face like you want to ask me something." Lance observed. They entered a lift heading down and Lance leaned back against the wall so that he could observe Shiro better. "I never kept anything from you on purpose, Shiro. I just never knew how to tell you the truth."

"I know." Shiro replied. "But now... I guess I always thought you'd come from Earth. I had no idea there was even a rebellion out there, let alone one formed by humans."

"Yeah. You were pretty sheltered on that station. I was always so bothered by it, but it made a twisted sort of sense. Keep the omegas ignorant and they wouldn't know that they hadn't been forgotten by the humans. That the humans were angry. Did you know that out of all the alien races forming the rebellion, the humans are the largest percentage? Literally every human slave the Blade of Marmora has freed from their chains has gone on to support the rebellion in one way or another? Commander Holt used to be a respected astronaut with the Galaxy Garrison on earth. When the Galra came, they took his omega son from him and so he and his wife were among the first to form the human branch of the rebellion. And there are other people too. Captain Naomi for instance."

"Wait!" Shiro halted Lance, just as the elevator doors slid open. "Captain Naomi who?"

Lance paused. "Shirogane." He said. "They took her wife and son."

Shiro went cold. Did Lance not realize... did he not know what he'd just said? "Lance... did I ever tell you my real name?"

"No?" Lance questioned. "Sorry, I didn't even realize Shiro wasn't your real name. What is it?"

"Shirogane." Shiro answered. "Takashi. Naomi Shirogane is my mother's name."

The door to the elevator slid shut again, forgotten by both omegas. "Oh shit." Lance muttered. "We have to tell the commander right away. Naomi's been with the Blade undercover for years now. If she knows you’re her son they'll recall her. She's been looking for you." He grabbed hold of Shiro's hand. "She never stopped looking for you." He jammed open the doors and dragged Shiro out by his wrist into the hanger where the blue and black lions were resting. Blue lowered her jaw and Lance led the way into her cockpit, Shiro close behind him. 

With the ease of practice, Lance pulled up the HUD and dialed the frequency code for Commander Holt's office. The Commander looked concerned as he picked up. "Corporal Martinez. Everything all right?"

Lance shook his head. "Sir, I'm sorry for the abruptness of this but I only just found out. You need to recall Captain Shirogane from her mission." He gestured to Shiro. "We've found her son."

That caught the Commander's attention. Commander Holt turned so that he was fully facing the screen and scrutinized the two of them. "You bear a resemblance." He commented. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Shiro, but Captain Naomi Shirogane has been serving with the Blade of Marmora for three years now. Six months ago, they were on a dangerous mission to rescue some prisoners. Naomi's ship was captured. Shiro -- your mother has been declared missing in action."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe. Spoiler warning --itsfanfictionofcoursethemomsnotdead.


	3. Rebel Base Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friend of mine told me it's bad form to end every chapter on a cliffhanger. I choose to ignore this advice. Or, Rebel Base Tango!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's anachronistic, but I totally wanted to give a shout out to SAPRs -- a real part of the US Military and DOD who deal not just with sexual assault to uniformed personnel, but also assist civilians and dependents affiliated with the DOD who have been victims of sexual assault. It sucks that they're needed, and maybe I'm biased because of my own experiences working with SAPRs, but they rock nonetheless! 
> 
> So we have two very emotional scenes in this chapter. One is about halfway through and centers on Lance and Shiro and one at the end when Shiro learns what happened to his moms. If you want to know more about some of the creative choices I made for this chapter, there's an extended author's note on my writing tumblr [here](http://storytellerlockea.tumblr.com/post/169223758280/abortion-miscarriage-and-infanticide-in-the). You'll also find a chapter summary if you're particularly sensitive to issues of abortion and miscarriage, as those feature heavily in this chapter.

Shiro's body went cold. No. This couldn't be happening. What happened to his moms? Where were they? They had to be alive -- Shiro needed them to be alive. "And my okaasan -- my mother's wife -- where is she? Did my mom ever find her?"

Commander Holt shook his head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Shiro. Naomi found her wife but it was too late. But she never gave up hope on you. When you get here, come see me. I have some things Naomi and Kaoru would want you to have." He cut the feed.

Shiro collapsed on the ground, stricken. He felt nauseous again, but not in the way he did from the pregnancy. No, this was grief -- rare and unfiltered in a way he hadn't felt since he'd been taken ten years ago. His mothers were dead. They'd taken Kaoru so Naomi had tried to find them both but now Naomi was gone. Shiro wasn't stupid. He knew what missing in action meant. Tears, unbidden and unwanted, burned at the corners of his eyes. Lance knelt down in front of him, hovering but not touching. "Shiro, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's not your fault." Shiro muttered. He felt the tears leaving tracks of moisture down his face but couldn't move his hand to wipe them away. "She never stopped looking. Maybe she should have. Maybe if she did she'd still be alive."

Lance scowled. "Now you're being stupid. What were humans supposed to do? What was she supposed to do? They took her family from her -- of course she went to get it back. Like all of us, your mom knew the risks inherent within the rebellion. No one was going to forget what the Galra had done. Your mom wasn't just going to forget you." More quietly, Lance added, "I couldn't imagine doing that. I couldn't imagine just forgetting about my children."

Shiro could. He didn't think he ever  _would_ forget about his children, but he could imagine trying. Instinctively, Shiro pressed his hands against his belly. No, that wasn't right. He wouldn't forget about any of them. "You want to go back for your kit?" He asked.

Lance nodded. "Kinda, yeah. Why, what about you? I know fourteen's a lot for a ship to handle but..."

He trailed off as Shiro shook his head. "No, they're better off there, you know? Sendak's a monster, but he loves his kits." Besides, Shiro could imagine it. Sendak would likely pursue him to the ends of the universe just for the kit Shiro currently carried; what would he do if Shiro took all the children from him? No matter what he felt about his children, Shiro wouldn't use them as pawns in his and Sendak's chess match.

This kit though. This kit was stuck with Shiro, and no matter what Shiro wasn't giving him or her back to Sendak. He'd kill the Galra Commander before he let himself be taken again.

"Lance? Shiro?" Allura's voice rang out from outside the blue lion and Shiro pushed Lance away, turning to hide his face while he wiped away his tears. Lance gave him a moment alone and left the lion, climbing down to greet the princess as she stepped out of the elevator.

"Hello princess!" Lance greeted, overtly cheerful and voice a singsong.

Shiro heard Allura say, "I may not have known you very long, Lance, but I can already tell when you're trying to hide something."

Lance said, "It's nothing that concerns you. It's a private matter and its not my place to talk about it."

Shiro was grateful for Lance's discretion as he rubbed his face before climbing out of the blue lion. "Are we ready to leave?" He asked. Allura nodded so Shiro made his way over to the black lion, her forcefield up in front of her. This close, Shiro could hear black's excited cheering, the mental image of a small black cub bouncing back and forth in playful cheerfulness echoing in his head. He reached out and pressed the open palm of his hand against the forcefield. "Hey black." He greeted. "Are you going to let me in?"

"I wish I could." Black replied, her voice echoing in Shiro's mind. "But you plan to go where I cannot follow. I will stay with you in spirit but it would risk everything were you to bring me so close to Zarkon's territory."

"Shiro?" Allura asked, approaching them. "Is everything all right?"

Shiro hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes. Now he opened them and looked at the princess. "She says she can't let us take her from the castle. She said we're going too close to Zarkon's territory to risk it."

Lance said, "Well, yeah. The base is close to a Blade hideout, right underneath the nose of the Galra. We're not going anywhere near the main station, but it's still Galra controlled territory."

Allura added, "It's wise of her to tell us as much. I hadn't thought of it before, but if the Galra retrieved the black lion -- well, never mind. It'll be a very tight fit, especially if we do find potential paladins among the rebels, but we'll have to take only blue."

Shiro nodded and leaned his head against black's forcefield. He heard her voice say, "I'm sorry, cub, but do not doubt that I have chosen you."

"Thank you, black." He muttered, before turning to follow Lance and Allura back to the blue lion.

*~*~*

"Is that it?" Shiro asked as the blue lion descended through the atmosphere onto a planet covered in ice. There was a tiny black dot in the otherwise white landscape and Lance seemed to be heading straight for it.

"Yep." Lance answered. "Welcome to the hell that is Hoth -- I mean, Yolan. But seriously, the humans do call it Hoth. Anyway, this is Rebel Base Tango. Two planets closer to the sun is the local sect of the Blade of Marmora, making this the central hub of Rebel and Blade activities." With the smooth ease of long practice, the lion dropped through the black opening and landed on a pad in a hanger. Overhead, the hangar bay doors slid shut. There was already a crowd gathered by the time Lance maneuvered the lion into a position away from the bay doors. 

Lance was the first to climb out of the lion. As Allura and Shiro watched on, Commander Holt stepped forward, followed by a group of teenagers around Lance's age. Commander Holt saluted Lance, and Lance returned the salute before he was mugged by the teenagers. Commander Holt turned his attention to Allura and Shiro, who hung back during the display. "Words can't express how much this changes things, Princess Allura. The Galra attacked Earth because the blue lion was hidden on it. As we've learned more about Voltron and the lions the more they've come to represent hope to us. Bringing Martinez and the lion back to us has boosted morale significantly."

Allura gave a short, polite curtsy in response. "Of course, Commander. Then I'm sure I do not need to express the importance of choosing the correct paladins to form Voltron."

Commander Holt nodded. "Of course, princess." He turned back to where Lance had been released from the grips of his friends. "Sergeant Holt, Corporal Kahale, please escort Corporal Martinez to the infirmary for debrief and examination."

Two of the teens detached from the group -- a big guy and a tiny girl who bore a striking resemblance to Commander Holt. They both saluted. Lance forced a grin onto his face. "Sergeant, huh? When did you make rank, Pidge?" He asked.

The girl grinned back as she dropped her salute. "When you weren't around to make me look bad." Sergeant Holt shot back. "Now come on before I write you up for sassing a superior officer." Even so, her words were light hearted and teasing.

Lance glanced over his shoulder at Shiro. "Hey, Shiro?" He called. "Come with us please?"

Shiro nodded but checked with Allura first. She smiled and waved him off before turning back to her conversation with Commander Holt.

Lance said, "Pidge, Hunk, this is Shiro. He helped me escape from the Galra. Shiro, this is Katie AKA Pidge Holt and Hunk Kahale, my two best friends." They started towards one of the hanger doors leading into the base as Lance explained, "Pidge's parents are the leaders of Tango. You've met their dad, of course, but their mom's the main hacker and her skills are legendary."

"Next to mine, of course." Pidge piped up. Lance caught the young woman -- an alpha, Shiro now realized -- around the shoulders and buried his fist in her hair. "Hey!" Pidge protested. "I outrank you!"

"Not in height you don't!" Lance replied.

It was interesting to see this side of Lance. More playful, more relaxed, but still with a stiffness to his shoulders that betrayed his anxiety. Shiro smiled at the easy comradely between the three of them. 

Lance eventually let go of Pidge and went back to explaining things to Shiro, pointing out different parts of the base (and wasn't it a relief to see, for the first time in ten years, the familiar characters of the English language). "Hunk's the best mechanic-slash-engineer in Tango." Lance explained as they neared the infirmary. Hunk chuckled and rubbed the back of his head self consciously. "Pidge can hack with their hands, but they've got nothing on what Hunk can do."

"Yeah, we know we're smart." Pidge replied. They grinned at Shiro. "I know what you're thinking. Why the heck are two awesome rebels like ourselves hanging out with this loser."

Lance protested that. Shiro grinned. "Actually, I was thinking how lucky Lance is to have friends like you around."

"D'aww, man!" Lance replied. "Don't get all sappy on me. You're my friend too."

They arrived at the infirmary, which wasn't so unlike a Galra infirmary, except instead of steel walls and a clinical coldness, there were posters and artwork hanging from every available surface. It looked lived in, homey. A nurse greeted them with familiarity as they walked in, immediately bringing all four of them back to an exam room. Lance's movements had become stiffer as they approached the infirmary, his smiles more forced. Now that they were in the exam room, however, Lance glanced nervously at Pidge and Hunk. "Hey, um. Do you think I can have some privacy during the medical exam?" He asked.

Pidge shook their head. "Sorry Lance, you know the rules. One of us has to attend you until you're debriefed and cleared for duty. However, if you feel more comfortable with a beta, I'll step out and Hunk can stay with you."

Lance frowned. "No need." He ducked behind a curtain and Shiro heard the sound of him undressing. "If someone has to find out I'd rather it be both of you. Just, uh, don't freak out too much."

"Lance?" Hunk asked. but Lance didn't answer. A second later he pulled back the curtain, revealing that he'd changed into a hospital style gown, the fabric faded with repeated washes, but clean and comfortable. 

"Shiro." Lance said as he climbed up on the examination table. "Don't leave me, okay?"

Shiro had a feeling he knew what Lance didn't want to tell his friends, and frankly Shiro didn't blame him. He moved to the other side of the table and grabbed hold of Lance's hand. "Hey," He called, and Lance glanced over at him. "It's going to be okay."

"I know." Lance replied. "But thank you for reminding me."

Lance's friends watched on in concerned silence, sharing the occasional look but not speaking as the medic arrived. He started with a series of simple questions asking how Lance felt and if he'd had any illnesses in the past year. ("Depends on what you count as an illness." Lance quipped. The medic frowned at him.) Then came the first part of the exam, where the medic pressed a stethoscope against his chest and back and checked his temperature and blood pressure. "Blood pressure doesn't match your norm." The medic observed.

Then the medic had Lance lie back on the table and tried to shoo Shiro away so he could get in closer to Lance. Shiro made to move but Lance latched onto his hand tighter. "No." Lance protested. "You're doing a POW exam. I invoke my right to have a support with me. I pick Shiro. Work around him."

Clearly unhappy, the medic still obliged Lance. "I need to check for any internal disruption, Corporal, so I'm going to put my hands on you now." Lance nodded, but still winced as the medic pressed firmly against his sore abdomen. "Any bruising there?" The medic asked. Lance nodded. "How did you get the bruises?"

"Pissed a Galra off." Lance answered. "Worth it." He added with forced lightness.

The medic moved upward and pressed against Lance's chest. Lance winced again, but for a different reason this time. He was still lactating and the last time he'd even been able to pump had been last night at the castle. The medic paused.

Silence descended in the room as the medic focused on finding the right words to ask his question. He settled for blunt forwardness instead of tact. "How long ago did you give birth?"

Lance didn't answer. The teenage omega instead stared up at Shiro, who kept his eyes locked with Lance's as he stroked the back of Lance's hand. On the other side of the room, Pidge gasped in horror, hands flying to their mouth while Hunk just looked shell shocked. Shiro answered for Lance, "About three months ago."

"Oh my god." Pidge muttered, and ducked out of the room. Hunk stayed put. The medic just nodded and took a step back.

"As soon as the exam is over, I'll send for a SAPR to come in and speak with you." The medic said, naming one of resource officers the rebels kept around. It was sadly all too common for omega slaves to come through Rebel Base Tango needing the support of a specialist who was a trained counselor.

"No need." Lance said.

"Are you sure? You can request the SAPR anytime you need them." The medic insisted. Lance nodded. "All right. I need to write your chart. I'll send a nurse in with equipment to pump. You can donate your milk to the bank -- heaven knows we need it. I assume your kits are not in the picture."

"One kit." Lance said. "And if I can help it, he will be eventually. I'm not leaving him with that monster." Clearly this was something Lance had been thinking about for a while -- he had more conviction now than when Shiro and he had spoken earlier about going after his kit. Shiro felt kind of bad for not wanting to go after his own kits, seeing the way Lance spoke so fiercely about his own. 

The medic stepped out. In the quiet of the room, everyone could hear him conversing with Pidge in the hall. A moment later, the alpha stepped back in the room. Lance refused to look at them as he sat back up and ducked behind the curtain, redressing himself. When he finished he stepped back out, head ducked as he said. "You can't do that."

"Lance?" Pidge asked, unsure.

"You can't do that, Pidge." Lance repeated. "When you find your brother, you can't do this shit to him. You can't freak out. He's probably had a lot of kits -- a lot more than me, anyway -- but no matter what condition he's in you have to not freak out. This is already hard enough as is. Having someone you love leave the room because they can't stand the sight of you -- just don't, okay?"

"Lance, I'm sorry." Pidge's voice was desperate. "That's not what happened, Lance. I'm sorry it felt that way. I just... I knew. You know? I know. But knowing and seeing your best friend like this... I thought I was prepared." They stepped forward and hugged Lance, who flinched initially but stilled and eventually wrapped his arms around his friend. "I wasn't prepared. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Lance forgave. "But it's not about you, Pidge. When you find Matt, it's about him. Got it? What he needs matters most."

Pidge nodded against Lance's shoulder. After a moment, they stepped away. "I know you're probably tired, but you still need to debrief. In light of the medical exam, I have authorization to delay the debrief until later but you can't return to active duty until it's done."

"Please?" Lance asked. "I'd like to go see if Princess Allura has had any luck finding her paladins, and then we really should get the crystal and go back to the castle. I can debrief via teleconference if need be." Pidge nodded in response.

The nurse arrived in the room, carrying a basket of equipment. "If you need help," She said, "I can stay." Lance waved her off. He also chased Hunk and Pidge out of the room, citing his right to privacy to get rid of them in wake of the exam results. Shiro stayed at Lance's insistence.

Once the two were alone, Shiro took a seat on the chair near the curtain while Lance detangled the equipment somewhat awkwardly. "That went about as well as I thought it would." Lance admitted bitterly. "Pidge freaking out I kind of imagined. And of course gossip spreads like fucking lice in this place. Soon everyone here is going to know I spread my legs for a Galra."

"You know that's not what happened." Shiro replied calmly.

Lance shook his head. "No one cares about the truth. The ones they take as kids, sure, those are victims. You know, you or Matt Holt. I'm a fucking trained soldier. I should have fought back, I should have fought to the death. But no, I just laid back and thought of England like a coward."

"Lance, stop." Shiro ordered. "You were barely a year older than I was when I was taken. You're telling me a fifteen-year-old is a kid but a sixteen-year-old isn't? Come on, Lance, you know better. Even if you think you were just taking the easier path to survive, we both know it isn't true. The Galra knew how to manipulate us into behaving. You said it yourself -- they kept us ignorant, let us think there was no hope and if we did dare hope they snuffed it out any way they could." Shiro stood in front of Lance, looking down at the younger omega. "I know what happened to you, Lance."

Lance's heart stopped. He stared up at Shiro with wide eyes. No. No one was supposed to know.

Shiro said, "I don't know the details. It might have been worse than it was for some of the others simply because you were a soldier, but you're not the only omega who was on that station to go through that. God, Lance, I belonged to Sendak for ten years. All he had to do was threaten me with... with  _that_ and I would kneel for him, I'd bare my fucking throat to avoid it because I saw a lot of omegas whose owners hurt them the way they hurt you. If anyone's a coward, it's me. I never... he never... because I did everything I could to surrender. Lance, I wasn't brave or strong enough to fight back so don't you dare tell me you weren't a kid. Don't you dare pretend like surviving it wasn't strength enough. You have more strength than any other fucking person on this base. You got that?"

Lance nodded, and flung himself forward into Shiro's arms, hugging the older omega. Shiro hugged him back, and didn't let go for a long time.

*~*~*

The walk back to the hanger was a somber one, as clearly there was a lot on everyone's minds. Pidge led them up to their father's office on the second floor, which had large windows overlooking the hanger main floor. The curtains on the window were drawn and inside they could hear Allura arguing with Commander Holt.

"Well, that sounds promising." Lance quipped. No one responded. Pidge knocked on the door and the arguing stopped immediately. 

"Commander," Pidge said as they opened the door to the office. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Allura smiled at them, her expression strained. "Of course not. The commander and I were discussing allocation of resources. I take it what you needed my blue paladin for was successful?"

Pidge nodded. To their father, Pidge said, "I authorized a delay in Corporal Martinez's debrief given the results of the medical exam. He's aware that he can't return to active duty until it's done."

Allura's eyes narrowed. "He won't be returning to active duty at all." She pointed out icily. "The paladins of Voltron stand for justice across the universe -- they cannot be subordinate to anyone. We discussed this."

Commander Holt didn't look the least bit chastised. "And when Voltron is formed, I will release him and all the paladins from active service, but in the meantime Corporal Martinez is one of my best sharpshooters. I need him in the field."

Allura scowled. "So you are not willing to let me test all potential paladin candidates and yet you expect me to give up one of my paladins to harm's way? Commander, be reasonable."

"Princess, with all due respect, we are fighting a losing war with the Galra. We cannot spare our resources on empty hopes and a symbol of promise." Commander Holt insisted.

"That is all the more reason to gather the correct paladins. Voltron is not an empty promise -- it is the defender of the universe. It is the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Zarkon and bring down the Galra Empire." Allura turned her attention away from Commander Holt with a displeased huff. "I know you're scared, Commander, but now is not the time for fear; now is the time for bravery."

Commander Holt sighed wearily. "You win, Princess. Let it be known that you are a formidable opponent in your own right. I only hope this is not a mistake." He gestured to Pidge. "Katie, come here."

Princess Allura rose to her feet and approached Pidge, who started to take a step back before halting. Pidge remained frozen as Allura laid her hand on their chest, eyes closed. A moment later, Allura pulled away. "Boundless curiosity and driven desire to know the universe. You  _are_ the one I've been searching for. The green lion will choose you."

"Me?" Pidge squeaked. "Oh no, you've got it wrong princess. I'm a hacker. I break things as a hobby."

Allura smiled. "And in breaking them you learn about them. Trust me Katie, you are the ideal candidate." She turned back to Commander Holt. "I still need to find the yellow and red paladins. Please grant me permission to test the rest of the base for the paladins."

Commander Holt rose from his chair. "You have it." He sighed wearily, "But know this Princess Allura -- the Galra took my son from me. I will not permit you to do the same with my daughter."

Allura said, "I am not the Galra, Commander. Please keep that in mind." She moved past Pidge to Hunk and cocked her head to the side. "What is your name?" She asked.

"Me?" Hunk stuttered. "Uh, I'm Corporal Hunk Kahale pretty lady. Uh, I mean, Princess."

Allura's smile was warm and kind. "May I?" She asked. Hunk stuttered out an affirmative and she pressed her hand against his chest. "What do you know." She said, pulling away. "Kindness and empathy, unwavering in your belief in the good of all people. I couldn't have chosen a better yellow paladin."

"Good," Commander Holt said. "Then you need only check for the red paladin now. Fine, take my best hacker and my best mechanic along with my best sniper. I sure hope, for all our sakes, that this is worth it." He gestured for his former subordinates -- now Allura's Paladins -- to leave. "I promised Captain Shirogane's son a gift from his mothers. If you would please excuse us."

Shiro watched Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Allura leave and couldn't help but feel slightly abandoned, alone with Commander Holt. The commander gestured for Shiro to take the seat Allura had vacated. He took it obediently and waited in silence for the Commander to speak. Commander Holt instead set to rummaging through his desk before pulling out a large envelope and setting it in front of Shiro. "Naomi was a good woman, and even though I only knew her for a short time, Kaoru was a force to be reckoned with." He gestured for Shiro to open the envelope.

Shiro's hands shook as he undid the fasten, pulling out the first of several objects contained within. One was a picture of him with his mothers at his middle school graduation, a few years before the Galra invaded. The second was a picture of Naomi and Kaoru seated next to each other on the edge of the cockpit on one of the spacecraft in the hanger. Kaoru looked sallow and gaunt, but she was smiling. Naomi's expression was hidden by her wild, curling afro as she looked at her wife. It was a picture taken after the invasion, clearly, as Shiro thought he recognized Rebel Base Tango in the background. 

"We rescued Kaoru five years ago." Commander Holt explained. Shiro dug into the envelop and his fingers caught on something cold and metal and tangled. He pulled it out -- two objects. An ID bracelet and a locket. The locket had a picture of Shiro as baby in it. Kaoru had worn that thing all through his childhood. Of course, it didn't take much for Shiro to guess that the bracelet tangled in it was Kaoru's, even if he couldn't read the Galra writing. "She was pregnant. The obvious solution was to perform an abortion on her, but Kaoru was worried about complications. She also feared that, without the artificial womb technology Earth once boasted, such an act would constitute murder on her part, and she couldn't live with that. Naomi was so mad. They argued all the time about it. I don't think Naomi ever forgave herself for not insisting harder but Kaoru was a dedicated and self-sacrificing pacifist until the very end."

Shiro ducked his head, hands clenched around Kaoru's locket. He didn't want to hear this. But at the same time he needed to hear this. "She died." He surmised. "Giving birth to a Galra child. What happened to the kit?"

"Completely nonviable." Commander Holt responded. "It lacked a cranium in utero, so even had she made it to term the kit never would have survived. I think that's what made everything all the more tragic. Kaoru's fears amounted to nothing and in the end she lost her life."

It wasn't fair. It wasn't. None of this was right. The Galra, his okaasan being worried about being seen as a murderer, the kit for killing her -- all of it was wrong. Shiro wanted to scream. Instead he pressed his hand against his belly and wished he could destroy every last one of those monsters for killing his moms, starting with the one inside him.

"Shiro?" Commander Holt called. Shiro glanced up and met his eyes. "They loved you. Sure as the stars, they never stopped loving you or searching for you, just as I will never stop loving my children or searching for my son. You know we have a name for the omegas the Galra took. The unforgotten. No human will ever stop until we find every single one of the unforgotten and return them home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw my opportunity to do a title drop and I took it. *Sorry not sorry*
> 
> Shiro uses Okaasan instead of Haha because he grew up speaking English so Okaasan always sounded better in his head. He does speak some Japanese, but he's not fluent by any means.
> 
> Also, next chapter's almost done, but I go back to work tomorrow so no more vacay for me, which means an end to the quick updates for ya'll. T_T I STILL haven't gotten around to introducing Keith and I know you guys have been asking for him, but he's coming I promise. I really do. I'm trying to squeeze him into chapter four because, dammit, the team needs their red paladin!
> 
> My kingdom for fanart of the two pictures Commander Holt gives Shiro. Haha, I wish I had money to pay for commissions. T_T


	4. Bitter the Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you just have to power through. Or, everyone gets to hold the badass stick in this fic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a tough week for me. I'm not terribly quiet about my struggles with mental illness, and I know I've mentioned to several of you darling reviewers that I have PTSD (it's the reason why I like Shiro so much) as well as Major Depression, but I tend to shy away from sharing the messier aspects of the illness, which attacked me full force this week. Suffice to say, I've had to pull out all my coping skills and self care routines just to keep afloat. This has made writing this week particularly difficult and I feel this chapter suffered for it. That said, I persevered, so while I'm not happy with how this chapter turned out (particularly the introduction of Keith in it or the (lack of) handling of Allura's racism), it's done for now and in the interest of forward motion I've considered it "good enough" and am now about 1k into chapter five.
> 
> On a slightly more upbeat note, I originally had a different name for Pidge's mom, but I needed everyone's favorite General, Princess Leia, to guide me this week, so Pidge's mom is now named after the late, great Carrie Fisher. It seemed relevant given the plethora of Star Wars jokes and references I've sprinkled in the text.

Allura spent the rest of the afternoon searching the remainder of Rebel Base Tango for a suitable candidate for the red lion before giving up in frustration just before the evening meal began. Exhausted from an over exertion of her Altean powers, Commander Holt offered up space in the civilian quarters for Allura to rest in for the night before the blue lion, along with the two new paladins, would return to the castle with the crystal in the morning.

In the meantime, Hunk and Pidge, seemingly having nothing else to do that day besides babysit Shiro and Lance, led the two omegas to the mess hall, managing to arrive before the hall got too crowded in the evening rush. They found a fairly quiet corner away from the doors and the buffet line and Shiro savored the human food cooked by human hands. Sure, it was nothing to write home about -- apparently the eggs were dehydrated imitations of earth eggs and the vegetables were actually not earth native -- but Shiro didn't care. 

Hunk groaned when they took a seat at the table. "Oh man, looks like the circulator in the hydroponics lab is broken again. No spices for us." He tasted one of the grilled vegetables -- which looked like a squash of some sort -- and winced. "Yeah. Salt and pepper food for us."

"Hey, at least it's something other than green food goo." Lance replied. "Or Galra food. Man, Galra don't believe in vegetables. Never thought I'd miss my herbivore side."

"What? You?" Pidge teased. "Mr. loses his mind whenever we get a shipment of meat in? No!" They mock gasped.

When he finished eating, Lance patted his stomach and leaned against Pidge, who didn't protest as their best friend proceeded to fall asleep on them. Hunk gathered up their trays as dinner service was in full swing and every available table occupied. Pidge yawned. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?" They observed.

Shiro nodded. "Yeah." He'd woken up that morning in a healing pod only to learn he'd nearly died from pregnancy related complications. Then he'd learned that both his moms had died; okaasan from her own pregnancy and mom trying to find him. Now he was sitting among his own people for the first time, but even though he had Lance and Pidge and Hunk had been welcoming, he still felt like such an outsider here.

Hunk returned and Shiro listened as he and Pidge devolved into a conversation about fixing and improving the base's hydroponics system.

"Look at him." While Pidge and Hunk talked, a group of three rebels approached the table. Pidge stiffened. "He just waltzes back in here after a year like he didn't spread his legs to save his own skin. Galra slut."

"Hey!" Hunk was the first to speak up. "What's your problem man?" He stood up to better face the intruders who were standing behind Pidge and Lance. Lance blinked awake at the noise and movement, but froze, every muscle stiff as he refused to turn to face the intruders.

"What's my problem?" The leader of the three, the one who'd spoken first, laughed. "My problem is that the stupid omega slut got his team killed but all he had to do was spread his legs and they spared him. You know what everyone's saying about him? Rumor is he's got a kid with one of those monsters."

Pidge nudged Lance off their shoulder and stood up, rising to their short height as they spun around. They read the badges on the rebel's uniforms. Specialists, an equivalent rank to Lance and Hunk, which meant they were beneath Pidge. "Shut your trap right now. This isn't how we treat our returned prisoners of war, so unless you want a breach of decorum on record I suggest you turn around and go sit your ass back down."

"Or you'll what?" The leader mocked, "Go crying to daddy? Please, Holt, everyone knows you and Martinez were fucking --" He trailed off as Pidge landed a quick punch to his solar plexus, causing the asshole to double over.

"You want to try that again?" Pidge asked, voice dangerously low.

"What is going on here?" A new voice called from the edge of the mess hall. The crowd that had gathered around their table parted as a middle-aged woman with long dirty blond hair and ice cold blue eyes stepped into the middle of the circle. She glanced over at Pidge and then at the intruders. "Specialists Hugo, Marin, and Bern. I shouldn't be surprised you're in the middle of this mess."

The leader -- Shiro hazarded a guess he was Hugo -- glared and pointed an accusing finger at Pidge. "She started it. She punched me."

Pidge crossed their arms over their chest, a look of contemptuous disbelief on their face. The woman said, "I'm not deaf, Hugo. I heard what you said about Corporal Martinez. You shouted it loud enough for the whole mess to hear." She gestured for two of the rebels in the crowd to step forward. "Escort these big strong alpha assholes to the brig and leave them there overnight. Tomorrow, you three can clean every single latrine on this base with a toothbrush until it's spotless." She turned her attention to the crowd. "Anyone else have anything they want to say?" Silence. "Good. Because if you wouldn't say it to one of the unforgotten who joins our ranks, don't you dare say it to one of our ranks who has become one of the unforgotten. Corporal Martinez survived a year as a Galra prisoner. I believe the only thing you should be saying to him is a hearty 'Welcome home.'"

A cheer or two and a small round of applause followed that statement. Lance blushed and dared look up for the first time since the altercation began, smiling sheepishly at the woman as the three troublemakers were dragged away and the crowd went back to their dinners. "Thanks, Mom." Lance said.

The woman smiled. "Of course, Lance. Welcome home." She turned her attention to Shiro. "And I've heard about you, Mr. Shirogane! Naomi and Kaoru's son. Welcome home to you too." She pat Shiro on the shoulder, and Shiro, slightly overwhelmed, just sat there.

"Thank you?" He managed.

"Ah, my apologies." The woman said. "I'm Carrie Holt. I'm the head of intelligence and cyber security here at Rebel Base Tango. You've already met my husband and my daughter."

Oh, so this was Commander Holt's wife and Pidge's mom, the famous hacker. Shiro could see the resemblance. Pidge had their father's hair color, but otherwise looked like a much younger version of their mom. "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

Carrie Holt smiled. "Captain Holt, if you want my title, but I don't stand on much formality. You may call me Carrie if you like. Or Mom. That's what Pidge's friends call me."

Shiro could see why. Captain Holt radiated a maternal warmth and cheerfulness, which made her earlier steely anger all the more commanding. Shiro liked her instantly -- a woman like that would go to the ends of the earth for the people she decided were her family, heaven help the ones in her way. 

"Um... excuse me?" Just past Captain Holt was a tiny slip of a girl in a uniform different from the other rebels -- grey instead of the khaki of Pidge and Hunk's uniforms and blue of Commander and Captain Holt's. All eyes turned to her and she drew back slightly before steeling herself. "I, uh, don't know if you remember me, Corporal, but I took your weapons safety class a few years ago. I'm Cadet Cheng -- Jin Ming."

Lance was watching her warily, as if expecting another confrontation, and didn't say anything, so Captain Holt prompted, "Yes, cadet?"

"Sorry," The girl -- an omega -- stuttered. "I, um, I was asked by the other omegas in the enlisted barracks to come welcome you home, and, uh, give you this." She held out her hand, palm up, to reveal that she was carrying a pair of dog tags on a long chain, and on the chain, was a white crystal of some sort, about the length of Shiro's thumb. "We know it's not regs or anything, and I think Commander Holt was going to give you your real tags once you return to active duty, but Mary works in the fabrication shop and made them for you. We all worked together to decide what to put on them last night when we heard you were coming back to Rebel Base Tango and of course the quartz is a cast off from the fabrication shop as well, but we wanted you to have it so you'd remember that Hoth is your home."

Lance snorted at that, while Hunk and Pidge grinned. It took Shiro a moment to realize that she was making another Star Wars joke. Lance had told him the humans called this planet Hoth instead of its real name, Yolan. The cadet held out her hand and Lance took the tags from her, reading them silently. At first, he didn't say anything, speechless by the act, before he managed, "Thank you, cadet." Shiro knew the teenager well enough to recognize the swallowed back emotions in Lance's voice.

"Okay, pass them over!" Pidge demanded. Lance gave the tags to them. "Aww, how sweet. Someone thinks you're the best. They must not know you very well."

Lance grinned at Pidge. "Don't be jelly of my awesome." He teased back.

The tags were passed around before they landed in Shiro's hands finally, and he glanced down to read them.

_Lance Martinez_  
_Best Sniper of the Bunch_  
_Welcome Home_  
_We Missed You_

*~*~*

That night, Lance and Shiro shared a room in the quarters next to Allura's room. Not that Shiro minded, even if he did make Lance take the upper bunk. It was a good thing too, because it was late in the base's blue shift that Shiro's nausea dragged him out of his sleep and he made a stumbling dash for the en suite. Thankfully, it was lighter than his morning sickness usually was, but Shiro still took the opportunity, since he was awake, to climb into the shower and just sit until the water ran cold. He'd already gotten his much-needed shower last night when he'd washed his hair out with shampoo that smelled strongly of lye and couldn't possibly be good for his hair, but at least he was clean.

Lance was sitting up on his bed when Shiro dressed and returned to the room, legs swung over the edge as he glanced at Shiro worriedly. "You okay?" He asked. Shiro nodded.

"I still feel better than I did before the healing pod. Long morning sickness is normal for me. Even my first couple of pregnancies had me sicker than a dog at first." Shiro explained. He took a seat on the edge of his bunk and grabbed the hair brush that had been supplied to him, working slowly and steadily through the tangles as water dripped down and soaked his clothes. "So, are we leaving first thing this morning?"

Lance shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's up to Allura. Pidge said they're expecting a supply run from the Blade this morning, so maybe she'll stick around long enough to see if anyone among them is a good candidate for red." He dropped down off the bunk and began rummaging around for a pair of clean clothes before heading to the bathroom to change. When he emerged again he said, "I'd understand if you didn't want to stick around and meet the Blade today. They're Galra, but like, good Galra. Still, it probably wouldn't be easy. Heck, I know they're the good guys and even I don't want to stick around."

"Is that why you don't share a base?" Shiro asked.

"Sort of." Lance answered. "The two inhabitable planets in this system lack sentient life, but Yolan is mineral rich while Argus is more temperate, so there's a couple of humans on Argus assisting the Blade with the domestic shit they suck at doing, while humans also manage Yolan's production facilities. The Blade comes about twice a week to bring food supplies and we give them what we've manufactured or raw materials we've mined that they can better process. It also helped because the human branch of the rebellion doesn't want to deal directly with the Blade, so Rebel Base Tango is where all the interaction takes place -- same with the Blade. They kind of see humans as inferior to them so most of their order would rather interact directly with the Blade members, although that's changing."

Shiro nodded. Sounded about right for the Galra. Even the ones helping them wouldn't see them as anything but an inferior race.

Gold shift was just beginning when Hunk knocked on the door to their room. He'd already woken up Princess Allura and the Altean dressed quickly before the four of them headed for the mess hall for dinner. As they walked, Lance asked, "Where's Pidge?"

"With their parents." Hunk answered. "The Commander's not thrilled about letting Pidge off the base. You know they've never actually been outside the solar system since Tango was established? Guess Daddy's having some separation anxiety. Mom's fine though. Mom thinks this is a good move for Pidge, but Mom's always been chillaxed. You know?"

Lance laughed. "Sounds about right. Everyone else can do whatever they want, but not poor Pidge, you know. Can't have Pidge, even if they are a big bad alpha now, anywhere near the mean old Galra."

"Right?" Hunk agreed. "Oh, and the Commander wanted to know when you wanted to debrief."

"How about never?" Lance replied. Hunk frowned. "Listen man, I'll do it at some point, promise, but I just need some breathing room. I haven't even been free a week and I'm already being asked to come back to active duty plus I'm apparently the paladin of the blue lion and can someone please just give me a few days to just be?"

"Woah man," Hunk held up his hands, placating. "Sorry about that. I guess it has been a pretty shitty couple of days for you. All right, we won't push you."

Lance deflated, "Nah man." He grabbed the beta around the shoulders in a hug, "You guys are the best. It's actually been a fantastic couple of days after a shitty year." He glanced over at Shiro. "I just need some time to process things and then I'll debrief. Promise."

Allura said, "I'm afraid I can't promise the same for you and Shiro, Lance, but I will do my best by you both. I need my paladins in peak condition if we're to be any hope at all."

The sound of klaxons startled the group, but Hunk was the first to recover as they faded, followed by an announcement over the intercom system. "All hands on deck. Supplies incoming. Repeat, all hands on deck. Supplies incoming."

"Well, good morning to you too." Lance muttered.

Hunk said, "They're early today. They normally get here closer to mid shift." He glanced apologetically at Allura. "Sorry Princess, the commander was hoping to have you on your way before the Blade of Marmora arrived."

Allura shook her head. "I'm not thrilled to know that the humans are working with the Galra, but I trust Commander Holt. That said, I would have rather not had the lions anywhere near any of them."

There was already a crowd gathered as they approached the hanger and the ship that had docked just beneath the hanger doors. Commander Holt, as he had when the blue lion touched down in the base, was waiting alongside his wife as the ship hatch released. Pidge was towards the front of the group, so Hunk pushed his way through the crowd until they were standing alongside the young sergeant. 

"Kolivan." Commander Holt greeted the broad shouldered Galra that stepped out of the craft. He was dressed in concealing robes, face hidden behind a mask. It was impossible to tell that he was even Galra, from Shiro's perspective. 

"Commander Holt." The low, growling voice was unmistakably a Galra one, however. "I must say I am somewhat surprised by your... acquisition. Rumor from our spies said a pair of omegas had escaped with the blue lion, but no one expected it to turn up here of all places."

Commander Holt shrugged. "What can I say? The blue lion brought her pilot home."

The masked figure nodded and gestured to one of the others behind him. The smallest of the group stepped forward and handed a parcel to Captain Holt, who took it. "Intel." The smaller Galra said. "We need it decrypted as soon as possible to figure out what Zarkon is planning with his quintessence draining technology. You'll also find slave rosters for the zeta sector in there as well. Maybe some of your own are in that sector and we can decide where to launch our next rescue operation."

Captain Holt nodded. "I'll set my team on it right away." She turned and gestured for Pidge to step forward, the young alpha moving to their mother's side to take the parcel. Of course, Pidge's movement drew the two Galras' attention to where Allura was standing. Allura, for her part, was frowning, a look of intense concentration on her face.

The one called Kolivan brushed past the Holts and came to stand before Allura, head cocked to the side. "I was under the impression that humans were too xenophobic to allow very many aliens on their base." Kolivan said.

Allura cocked her chin up and replied, "I am Allura, Princess of Altea. I was invited here by the humans to search for paladins for the lions of Voltron."

"Paladins?" For a moment, there was confusion in Kolivan's voice, before he laughed, short and low. "The Alteans are dead. They were wiped out ten thousand years ago. As for the lions -- the humans may have retrieved the blue lion right from under Zarkon's nose, but that was pure stupid luck on their part. I doubt they'd succeed a second time in retrieving the red lion, even if you had a pilot for it."

"It was not pure stupid luck." Lance protested, the words out of his mouth before he'd thought twice about them. That expressionless mask turned in his directions. "Shiro heard the black lion calling out. The black lion said I would be blue's paladin and black wasn't wrong. If Allura finds the red paladin, then we  _will_  be able to retrieve the red lion and form Voltron."

The smaller Galra drew up behind Kolivan, and Allura's frown deepened as she stared at him, ignoring Kolivan. "You." She said, directing her question at the smaller Galra. "Who are you? You're not a Galra."

"I am a Galra." The smaller one replied. He lifted up his gloved hands and removed the mask, revealing a human face, pale skinned with black hair falling into violet eyes. "But you'd be forgiven for not realizing it. I'm a member of the Blade of Marmora, but I was born on Earth. I'm half Galra, half human. My name is Keith." 

Shiro was definitely confused. The children born of the Galra and the humans looked like pure blooded Galra. There was little genetic difference between them and a pure blooded kit, and even less difference cosmetically. Yet there was something slightly off about the young man before them -- he didn't smell right, not to Shiro's nose anyway. "How?" He asked and steeled himself as all eyes turned to him.

"How what?" Keith asked. "How come I look human?" Shiro nodded. "My mother is a druid. She used her abilities to hide me on Earth, out of reach of Zarkon's empire."

Allura's frown had deepened to a full on scowl. "You're the one." She said, disgruntled and almost angry. "Of all the potential candidates across the stars, you're the one the red lion will call out to. My father's lion, and she calls out to a Galra."

Keith asked, "What are you talking about?"

Allura replied. "I'm talking about you. You're the paladin of the red lion, the last paladin of Voltron."

*~*~*

It was a cramped, uncomfortable, and thankfully brief flight back to the castle with six people sharing Lance's cockpit. The silence and the tension so thick it hanged like miasma over everyone, dampening what should have been a cheerful, victorious move. 

Keith hadn't wanted to come with Allura. He'd protested, over and over again, that he had responsibilities within the Blade of Marmora. It wasn't until Allura laid her hand on his chest, confirmed his identity as the red paladin, and informed him that this was their only hope -- no other candidate existed among the humans of Tango and likely humanity in general -- that Keith finally relented.

"Fine, but only until a new candidate can be found. I'll only work with you temporarily. I'm not suited for being part of a team." Keith had growled out, and for that brief moment Shiro could understand how such a human looking person could be part Galra.

"Yeah yeah," Lance had called back. "Lone wolf Kogane. We got it."

It was late in the gold shift by the time the blue lion touched down on Arus with the crystal the castle needed. Coran greeted them cheerfully when the group tromped onto the bridge. "Well, looks like your expedition went well. These are the new paladins, I take it."

Allura nodded, "Yes, and we should discuss strategy for retrieving the lions. We're hidden out here on Arus, far from Zarkon's prying eyes, but we must be careful nonetheless. The yellow lion is held on a planet under Galra control, while the green lion resides on a fairly peaceful planet. Red, however, will be the most difficult. She is being held on Zarkon's main space station."

"So how do you propose we get it?" Keith asked. Allura hesitated. "You don't actually have a plan, do you?"

"I do." Allura cut in swiftly. "It's just... not a very good plan. I can't ask this of Shiro and Lance, but the only two who know their way around the city station are the two of you. I believe if you can infiltrate the station under cover, you two can navigate Keith to the red lion."

"And pull a repeat of our first escape?" Shiro asked. "Princess, with all due respect, we had the element of surprise on our side."

"And now you'll have the blue lion to aid you." Allura replied.

Lance shook his head. "No can do, princess. I'm all on board with ferrying Kogane here to the station, but once we're in he's on his own. I have a kit to get."

Silence. Shiro had expected this, but he hadn't expected Lance to just announce his plan, apropos of nothing, to get his kit back to everyone all at once. Hunk was the only one who didn't raise a protest as voices clamored over one another. "You can't--" blurred into "No," followed by "Are you crazy?"

Allura held up her hands to silence the group. "Lance, the Castle of Lions is no place for a child, especially a Galra child. How do you propose to take care of your kit  _and_  fly the blue lion?"

Lance lifted his chin defiantly. "I'll find a way. We can take the kit to Rebel Base Tango if need be, but I'm not letting a monster raise my son."

The princess sighed in defeat. "The Galra destroy everything in their path. You cannot hope to change their ways."

"Thanks for the ringing endorsement." Keith replied. Allura ignored him.

"I don't care." Lance said. "He's my son. I want him. That's enough justification for me."

"All right. Shiro?" Allura turned her attention towards the older omega. Shiro hoped like hell she wasn't about to ask him about his kits. Instead, she said, "Are you willing to return to the city station?"

Shiro shook his head, but he was relieved by the question. "No, I'm not. But I can't let my own personal feelings get in the way of this. Getting the lions and forming Voltron should be our first priority. We were chosen for a reason, so we must have courage if we are to fulfill our destiny."

 _Well spoken._  Black purred in Shiro's head.  _I knew you were a natural leader._  

"All right." Allura agreed. "Then our first priority is to get the yellow and green lions. Lance, I'd like you, Hunk, and Keith to go after yellow. Prepare for a fight if the Galra should discover you. Shiro, you and Pidge should go after the green lion. Her relative safety means you shouldn't need back up."

"Sounds like a plan." Hunk agreed. "So, when do we leave?"

"Now." Allura replied. "The sooner the better. Let's get those lions."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was also quite giddy to realize my work has inspired someone else to create their own work based on my world! Thank you so much Imamessbutjustpretendimfine! I was quite tickled to see your work in the Voltron feed! I'm always delighted to share my ideas, so if anyone else is feeling inspired, feel free to run and have fun! We fandom denizens should work to support one another. :)


	5. The Lions and the Paladins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting the lions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it feels like I wrote the first four and half chapters years ago, what with the way canon pushed forward this last year (how many seasons did we get? Haha, we went from getting a name for Keith's mother to meeting Lance’s family to finding out Shiro had a love interest)! It’s been an exciting year for me, most of which was spent in a depressive fog, but I’m recovering now! I’m moving from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast of the US, so I’m pretty excited about that. My work gave me a promotion if I moved so I said “of course!” Especially since I’m a native of the West Coast (shout out to the pacific northwest my homies!)
> 
> Anyway, I really have no excuse for why this chapter comes so late, except that I’d sat on top of the scene in the Castle of Lions for forever before deciding on my flight from the West to the East after my house hunting trip to just go ahead and say screw it – I wrote the whole second half of this chapter on the plane while watching the MCU movies, haha. It was hard not to write MCU fanfiction instead. XD
> 
> (greetings from a random American airport! Thank goodness for sketchy free wifi)

True to Allura's words, the planet Vere, home of the green lion, was a peaceful, temperate forest. The trip there was made in a short-range jump craft that Allura was now able to activate and power with the new crystal, although moving the castle would take another few days. Pidge was an experienced pilot as they flew the craft and landed it easily on the edge of the forest where Allura's coordinates had taken them. The walk was relatively quiet, and Shiro drank in the sounds of the birds and the animals in the trees, the warm sun filtering through the leaves, and the general feeling of peace that seemed to radiant from this place.

Pidge, on the other hand, was miserable. "Ugh, I hate the outdoors!" They complained, jumping every time a stray branch brushed against them. "It's got dirt and bugs and disease and awful stuff everywhere. I always hated it when I had to go to Argus on supply runs. Mom used to drag me around outside and just -- ugh."

"Sounds like you and your mom are fairly close." Shiro mused. It wasn't hard to imagine. Captain Holt's warmth and kindness was infectious.

"Sure, I guess." At least the topic distracted Pidge from their complaining. "I mean, I can't really complain. A lot of the kids on Tango don't have their parents anymore. That's why the enlisted ranks run so young there. Lance and Hunk's families are completely gone so I feel bad saying this, but my Mom's kind of overbearing at times. So is my dad. They can both be so protective, because I guess they couldn't protect Matt. I dunno. I was in kindergarten when the Galra came, you know? Just... one day Matt's there and next the door to our house is kicked in and Galra soldiers come take my brother. Then, when I was seven, my parents woke me up in the middle of the night and dragged me to the Mojave Space Port, you know, where the Galaxy Garrison used to be located. Anyway, the long story short is that Mom and Dad and me and Keith's dad and Keith all got on this Galra ship and came to Argus. We were on Argus barely a month before we transferred to Yolan. I've lived on Yolan ever since."

Shiro nodded, listening intently to Pidge's story. "So you've known Keith for a long time?" He asked, somewhat surprised. He hadn't imagined the human-looking half Galra would have been part of the resistance from it's humble beginnings. 

"Yeah." Pidge answered. "I didn't meet him until that night, and even then, his mom was there that night and took him with her when we arrived at Argus. I didn't see him again for a year after that, when his dad went on a mission with the Blade and came home with Keith -- and the blade his mom carried with her."

Did something happen to Keith's mother? Shiro didn't know if Pidge had the answers, so instead he asked, "When did you meet Lance and Hunk?"

"Oh, about five years ago." Pidge answered easily. "So the Blade was running this mission and found a bunch of slaves that had been separated from their families, all of them thirteen or younger, you know, not old enough to present yet. They were using them in a Galra shipbuilding factory because they were small enough to fit into tight spaces, but the moment one of them showed any sign of presenting, they'd disappear from the group. So Keith's dad is on this mission, along with Captain Shirogane, right? Anyway, Shirogane makes this big deal about saving the kids and the Blade's all like 'No we don't save people unless it’s our direct mission.' So Shirogane and Kogane back each other up and basically pressed Kolivan into agreeing to rescue the children. Anyway, that story made short, two of the kids they rescued from there were Hunk and Lance.

"So at first I have nothing to do with either of them. There's half a million kids all of a sudden running around Rebel Base Tango when for a long time it was me, Keith, and a bunch of adults. So Keith, especially, instantly hates all the kids and fucks off to nowhere fast. The only one he'll even talk to is me, because we've been the only two kids for a long time. So Keith and I are sitting in a corner of the rec room one day and the kids are just going nuts. They're excited to be free and do whatever the hell they want and up comes Lance. He just walks up to Keith and says, 'Hey. Play with me.'

"So Keith's like, no. No, fuck off. But Lance won't fuck off and I forget what they actually said to each other but it ended with Lance taking off his shoe and throwing it at Keith's head and then Hunk coming up all big Hawaii Kawaii that he is and apologizing and Keith takes off but for some reason I thought it was the funniest damn thing. Keith was like a fucking cat dropped in a bath."

Shiro had been zoning out slightly for most of the story, distracted by the thought of his mom being the reason why Lance was rescued in the first place. Lance and Hunk both. He could only hope he'd be half the leader the black lion thought he was, and a fraction of the hero his moms really had been.

"Hey?" Pidge waved their hand in front of Shiro's face. "You okay, Shiro?" 

Shiro shook himself from his daze and met Pidge's worried gaze. "I'm fine." He said. "Distracted, I guess. Are we getting close?"

Allura had loaded the coordinates onto some sort of hand held device Pidge carried with them. Pidge glanced down at it, and up at the river they were approaching. They frowned. "It's further up and on the other side of the river." They came upon the shore of the river -- too wide and potentially deceptively too deep to ford easily. "Well shit." The alpha groaned. "Now what?"

Shiro was as lost as Pidge was. Behind them, the leaves rustled. Pidge and Shiro both startled as a sloth-like creature stepped out of the trees. It chirped at them, one long claw-like finger pointed towards the bank where a canoe was shored up in the sand.

"Oh." Pidge exhaled heavily. "Do we trust it?" They asked Shiro. Shiro shrugged.

"Maybe it knows where the green lion is. Any better ideas?"

"Nope." Pidge replied and headed for the canoe. They seemed to relax a bit as the sloth-like creature pushed the canoe out onto the river, enjoying the scenery now that they weren't ducking every branch and jumping at every rustle of the foliage. "Hey Shiro?" Pidge asked after a couple minutes of silence. "Do you really think Allura's right? Will the green lion really pick me?"

"I don't see why she would be wrong." Shiro replied. "But I'll ask black." He closed his eyes and concentrated. This far away, it was hard to hear the black lion, just like on the city station. However, seeing the black lion in person had strengthened their bond, and although her voice was faint, Shiro could hear her reply. Aloud, to Pidge he said, "The black lion says Allura's not wrong." He didn't add that the black lion thought Allura was young and foolish and had her father's stubborn pride, but she was a good leader. "I believe in you."

Pidge grinned. "Thanks, Shiro." Silence followed for another few minutes. Shiro soaked up the sun and enjoyed the peace and quiet, until Pidge broke it again. "Hey Shiro?" They asked. "Do you think Lance is crazy to want his kit?"

"No." Shiro answered quickly. He didn't agree, but he knew where Lance was coming from. "Do you?"

"Yeah, kinda. I mean, it's not my place to say anything but what is he thinking? He's seventeen -- that's way too young to be a mom." Pidge sighed, "I guess, I just don't really get it you know? You have kits too, don't you? Do you want them back?"

Oh great, the question Shiro had been dreading. "I can't say anything about Lance." He said slowly. He knew Lance's master hit Lance more than once during his pregnancy. He knew his master had threatened Lance, and he knew from an offhand comment that he wasn't interested in Lance or his kit after the kit had been born. Maybe Lance feared his son growing up feeling unwanted if Lance wasn't there to show him that he loved the kit. 

Maybe Shiro would feel that way if things were different between him and Sendak and his kits.

"Shiro?" Pidge asked, and Shiro realized he'd become lost in his own thoughts.

"Sorry, Pidge."

"No, I'm sorry. I guess that was kind of rude of me. I just. I wish I knew who this person was that came back who looks so much like Lance but the Lance I know was not this responsible, mature, grown-up person. He was kind of a brat, actually, but now I don't know him anymore."

"You still know him." Shiro pointed out. "He's changed. It'd be impossible to go through everything he has and come out unchanged, but that doesn't make him a different person. We all grow up, Pidge, and we all change through our experiences. You've probably changed a lot too in the last year, even if you don't realize it."

Pidge smiled, small and faint, but present. "Thank you, Shiro."

The canoe came ashore at a shrine of tangled roots, the brambles and branches reaching skyward like a tall hill. "Is this it?" Shiro asked as he and Pidge climbed out of the canoe. The sloth rumbled out something that Shiro took as an affirmative. He followed Pidge to the base of the shrine.

"All right. I got this." Pidge steeled themselves before climbing up the branches. 

"Yes, you do." Shiro encouraged, and settled back to wait. Even if he wasn't pregnant, he didn't feel up to the climb, his limbs heavy and fatigued from the sunshine. Pidge would be fine. It took the alpha a couple minutes to get to the top but Shiro heard the triumphant cry as Pidge deactivated the barrier and Shiro stumbled a step backwards as the branches creaked and groaned and gave way. 

"Good job, Pidge." He smiled to himself as the green lion burst forth from the branches.

*~*~*

Unsurprisingly, Pidge and Shiro made it back to the castle first, but not by much. Allura and Coran were on the bridge where Pidge and Shiro joined them, and all four heard the return of the other three long before they stepped onto the bridge. 

"Were you trying to get us all killed?" A growl, lighter than a pureblooded Galra, but nonetheless belonging to Keith, cut through the door. "That's how you get us killed."

"I didn't get you killed, all right?" Lance, unmistakably. "You know, a little thanks for saving your butt would go a long way, you asshole." 

And then Hunk, "Enough fighting guys. We came out okay so that's what we should focus on. Besides, we still have to get the red lion."

The doors to the bridge slid open and the trio stepped in. Keith was closed off, arms crossed over his chest as he intentionally ignored the group. Lance looked livid, face closed in a deep scowl aimed at Keith's back. Shiro could feel a headache coming on. He really should keep his mouth shut but he couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

Instantly all three of them started talking at once. Shiro held up his hand. "Forget I asked. We can deal with it later. For now, we have four of the five lions and need to focus on getting red from off the city station. It's the heart of the Galra empire, however and getting there won't be easy."

"Which is why we should accept help from the Blade. There are spies on City Station who can aid us." Keith pointed out.

Allura shook her head. “Too much risk.”

Keith snarled. “Too much risk?” He repeated. “The City Station is Zarkon’s home base. There are hundreds of Galra commanders stationed there with their omegas. There are ships in and out every day, thousands of Galra pass through city station. The risk is extreme, and yet you want to rely on two human omegas to guide me through the station to find the red lion? Thanks but no thanks.” He spun on his heels and stomped out of the command room.

“Well then.” Pidge said, breaking the silence that descended.

“Idiot.” Lance muttered and took off after Keith.

Shiro sighed and dropped down onto the ledge near Allura’s station. “He always this volatile?” Shiro asked Pidge, who nodded, but it was Hunk who answered.

“Keith’s pretty rough around the edges, but he’s got a good heart. And, you know, he’s not wrong. We can use the Blade to guide Keith through the station to red while you and Lance go get Lance’s kit.”

Allura sighed. “I don’t like this, but I suppose if I must put my faith in a Galra Paladin, then I must put my faith in Galra allies as well.” She turned to Shiro. “However, in this case I will defer to my black paladin. You lead the paladins – what is your opinion?”

Suddenly four pairs of eyes were one Shiro, who shrank back at the scrutiny. His stomach twisted painfully as he considered the decision.

 _You need not be afraid._  Black whispered in Shiro’s mind. _The answer lies in you_.

 _I can’t make this choice._ Shiro whispered back. _Who am I to decide who to trust? I am nothing –_

 _But the First Paladin, the one I’ve chosen. I do not choose you lightly, little white cub._ Black interrupted his train of thought.

Shiro closed his eyes against the stares. When he opened them again, he said, “We should use the allies at our side. Hunk has a point. If the Blade can lead Keith through the base, then Lance and I will head to the creche and get Lance’s kit.”

Allura sighed deeply. “I concede to your decision.”

*~*~*

“We’re approaching City Station now.” Lance announced, though he needn’t have. The base appeared, many rings entwined around the central hub – the imperial palace and the arena. Pidge had used some of their skill with technology to outfit blue with a cloaking device which kept them hidden. The rendezvous point was maintenance hatch 17-6, on the edge of the station but close enough to both the hanger and the creche for both teams to execute their mission.

Blue landed on the side of the station and Shiro took a deep breath as Lance unbuckled and Keith departed. He never wanted to come here again. His hands were shaking, fine tremors that left him unable to grip anything with any sort of dexterity. That morning he’d woken up with the worst bought of morning sickness since the healing pod, but he’d brushed his hair out of his face, tied it back, and gone to breakfast even though his stomach rebelled at the very notion of food.

“Hey.” Lance clasped Shiro on the arm suddenly, startling the older omega. “We can do this.”

Shiro managed a small, wry smile. “Yeah.” He said. “Thank’s Lance.”

Lance cocked his head to the side. “For what?” He asked. “If anything, I should be thanking you. You’ve got my back, always have.”

“Always will.” Shiro returned. “Let’s go get your kit.”

The maintenance hatch was already thrown open, the airlock occupied by a Galra woman in her flight suit and Keith. Once it depressurized, she removed her hood and said, “I’ve got spare clothes in my bag. Scrubs for all three of you.” She looked at Keith. “Without your mother’s abilities, I can’t make you look like a Galra, so my plan is to escort you as an omega to one of the commands in the hanger. Once we’re close to the red lion, you’ll shoot me – miss, please – and make for red.” She passed Shiro and Lance a single device. “Comms.” She explained. “Alert us when you are heading back to the blue lion. Pass unnoticed and don’t attract attention. Once you reach the creche, an agent will meet you inside. He has the attendant shift for the next two hours – no one will realize what happened until after it’s over.”

Keith nodded. “This all sounds good, but what about you and the agent?”

Now the woman’s expression turned grim. “Tonight we’ll catch passage to one of the Galra colonies where the Blade will extract us. Our presence is compromised in this, but there are other agents still colony side.”

This seemed to appease Keith. “Do you have word of my mother?” He asked.

“Krolia is second in command of a deep space cruiser, last I heard. She’s heavy cover, Keith, she won’t be coming home for a while.”

Keith nodded. “I expected that.”

With that, conversation ceased between them. Shiro stripped from his armor into the offered white scrubs and loose sandals, struggling to keep down the visceral reaction being back in the clothes of his enslavement brought on him. Or maybe it was the kit, though barely a month, aggravating him once more.

Shiro and Lance left first, waiting for the agent’s all clear before dropping onto the ground beside the hatch. The walk to the creche was simple enough – it was late in blue shift and hiding in shadows to avoid the sentries was easy enough once they oriented themselves. Sure enough, the moment the door to the creche opened a Galra in attendant scrubs flashed a blade and pressed a finger to his lips. “The kits are asleep. Now is the best time to get in and out.”

Shiro nodded mutely and followed the attendant back into the creche where the nursery was. Lance immediately strode to the bassinet where his kit was sleeping, curled up, the easy practice of many visits helping him find the babe’s location easily. It was close – across the aisle – from Shiro’s kit. Alexon was fast asleep. Despite himself, Shiro took a few moments to memorize his youngest’s features before he turned back to Lance.

“Ready?” Shiro asked.

Lance nodded, his kit wrapped up tight in a blanket and cradled in his arms. “Let’s go.” He whispered.

With a soft hiss the door to the nursery slide open and together all three turned to see who had entered the creche suddenly. Shiro cursed silently in his head as he recognized the white mop of hair pulled back in a ponytail. Instinctively he grabbed Lance and dragged the Omega down to the floor behind the bassinets where Mimi wouldn’t see them.

“Kit.” Their agent said, voice stern like a disapproving attendant dealing with a kit who had crept from their bed late in the shift. “You should be in the dormitory.”

Mimi cast suspicious yellow eyes around the room before settling on the Galra in front of her. “Who else is here in the room?” She asked. “The nursery should be empty this late at night.”

Damn Mimi for inheriting her father’s keen sense of her surroundings! Shiro remembered once she’d known he’d come into the creche and never said hello to her. She claimed she’d smelled his scent, residual, on one of her younger siblings.

“Kit.” The agent warned. “Go back to bed.”

Mimi ignored him, stepping up until she was abreast with the attendant. At ten years of age, Mimi was still growing, but she stood to Shiro’s shoulders, though Shiro was two heads shorter than Sendak. “I smell him.” She said. “Mother.”

Shiro cursed inwardly and rose to his feet. Mimi gasped and startled backwards at the sight of him. “Mother.” She whispered. “What –”

“Go back to bed Mimiko.” Shiro ordered softly. “If you care about me, tell no one what you saw tonight, not even your brothers and sisters.”

“You left us.” Mimi accused. “You don’t care about us.”

Shiro didn’t say anything in response. It would be easier, he knew, to lie to Mimi. To say he did care. He couldn’t though. That was the one thing he’d never done – he’d never lied to any of his children and he wouldn’t start now. “Mimi.” He spoke instead, voice soft. “Why is your father’s love never enough? Why do you need mine too? Let me go, Mimi. Go back to your room.”

Mimi growled, the high bright growl of a kit, “I hate you.” Her voice when she spoke was cold and deep, the emotions choking her words as they fell between them. “I hate you and if I ever see you again, I will kill you.”

“You will never see me again Mimiko.” Shiro whispered back. “Look out for your brothers and sisters. They’ll need you.”

“Shut up.” Mimi growled again. “Shut up.” She cast her hurt gaze around the room. “Don’t ever come back here, mother. I hate you.”

“I don’t.” Shiro replied, as Mimi turned away and stalked towards the door. “I don’t hate you Mimiko. I never have, and I never will.”

“No.” Mimi replied, “You just don’t love us.” She stepped out the door and the sound of her footsteps echoed down the hall.

When she was gone, the agent turned to them. “We need to move now. We should assume we’re compromised. The kit may alert her father to our presence and then this mission will go sideways fast. Let’s move.”

Shiro and Lance both nodded in agreement. They moved quickly, making it three corridors down from the creche before alerting Keith that they’d been compromised in the creche. On his end, Keith cursed and began his trek towards the hanger. They made it another two corridors – two corridors still between them and blue – before the klaxons caught them. “Run!” Shiro ordered, the bright lights and wailing sounds drowning out his words as he grabbed Lance’s free arm and, stealth be damned, headed for the hatch. “Dammit Mimi.” He muttered.

The agent took out three sentries between them over the next two corridors but thankfully the maintenance corridor itself was silent enough that Shiro slipped his armor over the scrubs and held Lance’s kit while the other omega suited up. They found a small escape pod intended for the kit in the airlock and before they could blink the two omegas turned and found their agent gone, taken off through the shafts and corridors to his own safety.

“Come on.” Lance nudged Shiro’s arm. “Blades don’t believe in gratitude for missions executed. She need to get back to blue.”

Shiro nodded and together the two of them released the pressure hatch and headed for blue. Lance took command while Shiro strapped the kit’s escape pod down in blue’s small holding bay before heading to the cockpit to check on Lance. “We did it.” Lance was breathing heavily, a mixture of joy and panic written across his features.

“Almost.” Shiro replied. He hit the radio button. “Keith, come in. What’s your status?”

Keith’s voice was surprisingly calm as he replied, given his news. “Hostiles on alert in the hanger. My guide is keeping them fended off. Red’s not dropping her shields though. Was the princess wrong?”

“No.” Shiro replied automatically, but he still closed his eyes and reached out for black’s guidance. _Help us, please._

 _Red chooses her paladins on volatile conditions._ Black answered. _She sings to her paladin but he hasn’t answered her. She won’t allow him in until he answers her._

“Keith!” Shiro hit the comm again. “Close your eyes! Listen for red’s voice. You should hear her. You need to answer her before she’ll let you in.”

“Great.” Keith muttered back. Silence filled the blue lion’s cockpit as Shiro and Lance waited for some sign – any sign – that Keith succeeded. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes.

“C’mon Keith.” Lance whispered. “You can do this man.”

Suddenly with a great fiery burst the red lion appeared, a hole in the hanger wall greeting them along with the bodies of the Galra unfortunate enough to not be suited up when Keith blew a hole in the hanger to escape. “Got it!” Keith cheered. The lion swooped and dove, and with a grin Lance deactivated blue’s shielding and took off after red. Faster and more agile, Keith kept the lead, but blue once more had little trouble outrunning the fighters that scrambled after them. Those that managed to catch up, Keith was ruthless in taking down. The wormhole appeared and with one last cry, the lions fled through it.

Shiro sank back to his knees, drained. They’d done it. They’d gathered the lions. More importantly, they’d escaped. They were free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted the nursery scene to play out very differently, but that’s not the last we’ll see of Mimi or Exan, so I may yet get my wish for how I want the scene to play out in a future scenario. I kind of imagine Mimi and Exan and Sendak playing larger antagonistic roles here in the upcoming chapters. Poor Exan though, he’s honestly the most understanding of Shiro’s circumstances, whereas Mimi is just willingly pretending to be completely blind to her mother’s circumstances.
> 
> During the month of November I’m going to be going through ALL my “unread” comments and replying to every single one of them, so if you’ve commented on a fic of mine, even if it was years ago, and never got a response, well – I have 200 of those suckers to get through. I’m continually awed and humbled by everyone’s kind words. I know I’m a flake, and my depression sometimes makes it seem like I don’t care, but every comment is treasured and loved like a special gift to me. I read every single one, even when I don’t respond, and I am urged on to continue this story by those wonderful comments. Thank you everyone.

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember to hit the kudos button before you leave, especially if you enjoyed the fic. Kudos and comments are what feeds an author's ability to continue telling a story. After all, it's pretty easy for me to just keep this as a daydream in my head -- but if you want me to continue sharing, let me know! Thank you!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Those who own the earth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13257816) by [Imamessbutjustpretendimfine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imamessbutjustpretendimfine/pseuds/Imamessbutjustpretendimfine)




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